Walking On The Wire
by Snowbird forever
Summary: This story is set few years after Emma leaves town, leaving Matthew heartbroken. He thinks that he will never love again...can somebody from the past change that? What would happen if Atlantis came back in Colorado Springs... and in Matthew's life?
1. Chapter 1

Another sunny Sunday afternoon was slowly passing by in Colorado Springs. Most of the townsfolk were enjoying their meals over at the meadow in front of the Church.

"Mrs. Brown should come this afternoon for a check-up", said Colleen, taking another biscuit and looking at Dr. Mike.

"Yes, thanks for reminding me, Colleen", Dr. Mike smiled at her daughter "I reckon it shouldn't be long before the baby comes now."

"I better get going, prepare everything for the check up" said Colleen, getting up from the blanket.

"I'll be right there, Colleen" replied Dr. Mike. Colleen got up and started to walk toward the Clinic. As she passed the bridge and took few steps further, she head Horace calling her name and stopped.

"Horace?"

"I received a letter for you this morning, Colleen", said Horace, trying to catch his breath from running. Colleen's eyes went wide open.

"For me?" she asked in disbelief, accepting an envelope from Horace "Thank you, Horace."

Colleen looked at the envelope form both sides as she unlocked the Clinic's doors. It was addressed to her, there was no doubt about that. But, who would write to her from…

"London?" she spoke out loud, quickly opening an envelope and taking out a piece of paper.

_  
"Dearest Colleen,_

I know that it has gone a long time since I wrote to you. Life has been so chaotic, especially in last few months that I couldn't make myself to sit down and write to you. I am so sorry for that. I really hope that my letter finds you and your family in good health.

I hope that you managed to go to the Medical school, just like you planned. I bet that you already have your own practice! Please, let me know what is new in your life, I wanna hear absolutely everything!

Lots of things happened here since I wrote my last letter to you. I have a beautiful baby boy. He is already three and half years old. Things with his father didn't work out… I am still dealing with that. My son and me are better of without him, that's for sure. Heart lives close to me, she is such a big support and help to me through these hard times.

How is ? Thank her one more time for what she did for me, my hands are perfect now! How is she, Sully, Brian, Matthew? I bet that you are already an Aunt!

Send my love to everybody and write me as soon as you can. I miss you a lot and I often think about you.

Forever your friend

Atlantis."


	2. Chapter 2

**LynnEGib: Thanks, I hope that you will like my new chapter!**

**SylvieTheFanficFreak: Did you also reviewed my story on DQ Forum – Grace's Café? Thanks!! Yes, Matthew deserves to be happy with a woman he loves, and I don't know why, but Atlantis looks PERFECT for that role!**

**Chacha: Thanks for the kind words, I have so many ideas for this story, so I hope that you won't be dissapointed!**

**Auslee: Thank you very much! I know that this chapter doesn't reveal much, but we will get there soon!**

**Chapter 2**

Colleen was dumbfounded. Atlantis stopped writing to her almost four years ago and she thought that she would never hear from her again. They stayed in contact for some time, and all of a sudden the letters stopped coming. Colleen tried several times to write to her friend, but her letters kept on coming back to her with a seal that said "addressee unknown."

And even though years had passed since Atlantis' last letter, Colleen could never forget about her friend. She missed her dearly; Atlantis was somebody that Colleen could confide in, knowing that she would listen and try to help, that she wouldn't laugh at her. The only close friend Colleen had here, in Colorado Springs, was Becky…but Becky was gone.

She could never forget Atlantis' letters back in those days; so supportive and comforting. That was what she missed – her friend being there for her. When the first letter came back, Colleen was worried sick that something happened to her dear friend. She tried to find her, Dr. Mike even arranged with Horace that they post a notice in some newspapers across the country, but without succes. It was as if Atlantis had disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Collen's vision blurred. She didn't even realize that tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at the piece of paper in her hands.

"Colleen?"

The young girl gasped, startled by her Ma's voice.

"Ma!"

"Colleen, are you all right?", Dr. Mike asked, worried.

Collen swallowed and nodded. She looked down at the letter and added shrugging,:

"I don't know actually."

also glanced at the paper in her daughter's hands and asked:

"Bad news?"

Collen swallowed hard and a smile lifted up the corner of her mouth:

"Actually, no. Just surprising." She looked back at , "It's a letter from Atlantis."

gasped in surprise,"Atlantis?! But, didn't she…"

"Yeah, I know, she just stopped writing years ago, but now she contacted me again. She lives in London, can you imagine?" By now, Colleen was smiling widely. "Heart is there, too." Looking down at the letter, Colleen held it more tightly between her fingers.

Dr. Mike smiled gently and caressed her daughter's hair.

At that moment, the door of the clinic opened and Matthew stepped in, saying, "? Little Keith just rode into town, said that Mrs. Brown went into early labor. She is at home, she couldn't ride, sent their son to get you!"

"Oh, dear!", Michaela grabbed her medical bag and rushed toward door, "I have to get there immediately!"

"Come on, I'll take you," said Mattheew and briefly waved to his sister,not even noticing the look on Colleen's face.

As the door shut, Collen bit her lower lip. She looked for some paper and a pen on 's desk and sitting down, she started to write a letter to her friend.

~*~

"Mummy, can we go play by the river today?" a little boy asked looking at his mum laying in the bed.

"No, sweetheart, Mummy doesn't feel that well." Coughing, Atlantis caressed her son's hair, "As soon as I get well, I'll take you fishing, okay?"

"Okay, Mummy," he nodded. At that moment, a knock at the door was heard. "I'll get that Mummy, it's probably Grandma."

Atlantis lay back on her pillows, trying to stop coughing. She already prepared herself for welcoming her mum with a brave smile, but instead only her son came back into the room, carrying a letter.

"Letter for you, Mummy."

A small sparkle of hope lit up Atlantis' eyes. She took the envelope from her son and looked at the stamp.

"Who is it from, Mummy?"

A few tears of happiness rolled down Atlantis' cheeks as she saw the stamp of Colorado Springs on the envelope. Opening it and taking out a piece of paper, she whispered,:

"It's from Colleen."

Heart entered the house, surprised that it was unlocked. Atlantis must have been feeling poorly and the little boy probably forgot to lock the doors. But, where did he go?

"Atlantis? Why is the door unlocked, you know how dangerous that…" Seeing her daughter's face, Heart creased her forehead, "Atlantis? Atlantis, what's the matter?"

"Grandma, why is Mummy crying?", little boy looked at his beloved grandmother.

Swallowing her sobs, Atlantis whispered, "She answered, Ma. Colleen wrote back to me."

"Well!", Heart smiled "That's no reason for tears, darling, isn't it?"

"It's not that," Atlantis felt new tears welling up in her eyes. "It's about Matthew."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Heart was worried sick; it was already 3 o'clock in the morning, but Atlantis' fever didn't want to break. Ever since she read that letter from Colleen, her beloved daughter couldn't stop crying and repeating that she wanted to go, needed to go to Colorado Springs. Heart tried to calm her down, but all her words fell on deaf ears. Atlantis' little son was confused at first, and then he broke down in tears. The child was so attached to his mum that whenever Atlantis was sad or worried about something, it was as if the little one felt that, and he would just start to cry. Heart had a difficult time to soothe him. It took three stories about leprechauns to calm the little boy, and only then he drifted off to sleep.

Now, Heart was sitting by her daughter's bedside, washing her face with cold water. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she watched that darling, pale face. Atlantis had gone through so much; she just wasn't herself anymore. All the things she'd suffered from her husband, the escape from that abusive home and then the hiding - all that took its toll on her; she grew sick and was fighting with a terrible cough ever since.

When they arrived in England, Heart found them a place to stay, hoping that a new environment would help her daughter to heal. A few weeks ago, Atlantis asked her what she thought about her contacting her friend Colleen again. Heart knew how much Atlantis missed her during all these years. She also knew why she couldn't contact her before. Hoping that it would bring some joy back to her, Heart had agreed.

Now, she regretted it. She didn't think that Atlantis still had feelings for Colleen's older brother. She couldn't believe how on earth she could think that – when it was so obvious, considering…

"Mum?" All of a sudden Atlantis' quiet voice was heard.

"Yes, dear, I'm here," replied Heart, softly caressing her daughter's forehead that was bathed in sweat.

"I gotta go, Mum, I have to. I need to make sure that he's all right," her voice almost drowned in tears.

"First you have to get well, Atlantis," said Heart, swallowing her tears.

"There's no time for that. I have to go now, Mum…" Another attack of cough hit Atlantis' chest, stopping her in the middle of the sentence.

"Ssssshhhh, calm down, Atlantis, please…" Heart had barely finished her sentence when the entrance of the house burst open. Both women screamed with fear when they saw who was standing at their threshold.

"No…" Atlantis mumbled through tears.

~*~

"NO!!!!" screamed Matthew, abruptly awakening from his nightmare. His breathing was heavy and fast; he could feel the beads of sweat dropping from his forehead.

He looked around. He was alone in homestead. The room was dark, outside it was quiet. He lay back onto the pillows, still breathing heavily. As he wiped the moisture from his brow, he tried to remember his dream. What was so horrible that woke him?

Staring at the ceiling, Matthew tried to calm down. Tried to remember…

He had been in an unfamiliar house. He saw a little boy sleeping in his bed and heard somebody coughing in the other room. Then everything happened so fast; the doors slammed open and he saw a very drunk man storming into the room, trying to attack the young woman that was obviously very sick. Matthew couldn't see her face, but something in her voice was familiar to him.

"_MATTHEW!!!! MATTHEW, RUN!!!!"_

It didn't make sense. It just didn't make sense. Who was that woman? And why did she tell him to run? Run from whom?

~*~

One month later

"Horace just delivered these, Dr. Mike", said Matthew, unloading the boxes from the wagon together with Sully and Brian.

"Oh, thank God, my medicine finally arrived!" smiled Michaela and took one box from Matthew's hands.

"These should be enough till Christmas, I reckon," said Colleen, taking another box.

She barely finished her sentence when a strange noise distracted them. The whole family turned around.

The noise came closer and all of a sudden, a carriage stormed into town, with somebody screaming, "Dr. MIKE!! HELP!!"

Michaela gasped and rushed toward the carriage. Before she even reached it and had time to see who was calling her name so desperately, she heard Colleen call, "Heart?!"

Mike watched as her daughter ran toward the vehicle, quickly opened the door and then screamed, "NO!! ATLANTIS!!!!!"

Michaela was quickly by her daughter's side, hugging her while Sully picked up an unconscious Atlantis and rushed with her into the clinic. Heart jumped from the rider's seat and sobbed, "Dr. Mike, you gotta help her, please!"

"Calm down, Heart, calm down. Everything will be all right. Tell me what happened," said Dr. Mike as she and Colleen hurried to follow Sully.

Matthew and Brian went toward the carriage to take it to Robert E. when they heard soft sobbing from inside. Creasing his brow, Matthew slowly opened the door, only to see a little boy with brown hair and big hazel eyes curled up on the seat, crying. He couldn't be older than three years, Matthew thought. He reached for the child to caress his soft hair and felt the child shivering with fear.

"Hey," Matthew whispered. "It's all right, don't be afraid."

"I want my Mummy," cried the little boy. "Where did you take her?"

Matthew shared stunned looks with Brian. This was Atlantis' son?

Trying to recover from the shock, Matthew said, "Dr. Mike will help your mum. Don't worry."

As he tried to hug the little boy, the child winced with fear. "Hey, it's okay, I won't hurt you. I just wanna take you to see your mum," Matthew assured.

The soft voice eventually reached the little boy and he looked at the men in front of him for the first time ever since the door opened. They both looked friendly, he thought, maybe they really didn't want to hurt him.

"Hi, I'm Brian. What's your name?"Brian tried to start a conversation.

The little boy rubbed his eyes and sitting up, he quietly replied, "Matthew."

Matthew felt a lump growing in his throat. Tears were welling up in his eyes and he didn't even know why this hit him so hard.

Brian watched as his brother just bent into the carriage and picked up little Matthew, carrying him outside. Without a word, Matthew took him to the clinic.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Put her on a bed, Sully," said Michaela, taking her stethoscope. "Colleen, I need you to clean her bruises. Be careful, so that we don't hurt her even more."

"All right, Ma," whispered Colleen, fighting tears. Noticing that, Dr. Mike gently squeezed her daughter's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "She'll be all right, Colleen. We will do everything we can."

As young girl nodded, Dr. Mike kissed her forehead and went back to where Atlantis lay on the bed, still unconscious. Dr. Mike checked for her pulse and then put on her stethoscope to listen to her lungs. In that moment, Atlantis' eyes fluttered opened and she gasped for air.

"ATLANTIS!!" yelped Heart, trying to get to her daughter, but Sully held her back.

"It's all right, Atlantis, it's all right," Dr. Mike said in a calming tone of voice. "Try to take slow, deep breaths."

"Dr. Mike?" whispered Atlantis, recognizing her face. Michaela softly smiled.

"Don't worry, Atlantis, we will help you," a voice that Atlantis didn't hear for years was here and her eyes followed the sound…to stop on Colleen's face. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw her dear friend.

"Colleen…" Atlantis choked on tears, afraid that all this was just a dream. Her breathing became rapid and that was when a cough attacked her. She pressed her palm on her mouth and Colleen watched in horror as drops of blood showed up between Atlantis' fingers.

Dr. Mike worriedly looked at Heart, "How long has she's been coughing like this?"

"I…I am not sure," sobbed Heart. "Two months…Maybe more."

Dr. Mike felt shivers going down her spine. She looked at Sully and he understood what she asked him to do without a word.

"Heart, let's wait in the hallways," he softly said. As Heart tried to protest, he added, "Atlantis will be just fine. Come on."

As Sully and Heart left the room, Dr. Mike took her stethoscope again and said to Atlantis, "Darling, I know that this might be a problem, but can you try to take in a few long, deep breaths for me so I can check your lungs?"

Accepting a napkin from Colleen and wiping the blood away from her shivering fingers, Atlantis nodded, and collecting all the strength that was left in her, she took few deep breaths, trying not to cough.

Colleen watched her Mother with concern. Dr. Mike's forehead creased as she listened to Atlantis' lungs and Colleen knew that it couldn't be good.

As she finished, Atlantis looked at her, afraid to ask… but knowing that she had to.

"What's wrong with me, Dr. Mike?"

Dr. Mike looked at Colleen, then back to Atlantis' pale face.

"I believe that you have a very bad case of pneumonia, Atlantis. Did you have a fever?"

"Yeah," whispered Atlantis, "it comes and goes, but I feel so weak." Her eyes filled with tears once again, "Am I going to die?"

Dr. Mike gently caressed Atlantis' hair. "I'll do everything to prevent that from happening. I promise you. You'll have to stay here in the clinic for some time."

Atlantis nodded, trying to stop the tears, but they flew down her cheeks like a river. She couldn't imagine that everything had come to an end… Not now.

~*~

Brian was pacing along the hallway, counting his steps. Matthew was sitting on a chair, with Atlantis' little son fast asleep on his lap. The poor child was so exhausted that he fell asleep in Matthew's arms even before they reached the hallway in front of recovery room.

Steps were heard and the Cooper brothers saw Heart and Sully approaching. Atlantis' mum was a wreck, she couldn't stop crying.

"Pa, how is Atlantis?" Brian was the first one to talk.

"Your Ma is still checking on her, but she woke up," replied Sully.

"My poor little girl," sobbed Heart. "I should have done something earlier, I should…"

"Calm down, Heart. You brought her here and that was a good decision. You know that Dr. Mike will do everything that's possible to help her," Sully tried to comfort her.

His words echoed in Hearts' ears. She knew that Dr. Mike would try everything, but she was just too afraid that it was too late.

It was then that her eyes noticed her sleeping grandchild…Her eyes went wide open as she saw who was holding Atlantis' son.

"Shhhh, he's asleep," whispered Matthew.

"I…I can't believe it that he lets you holding him," mumbled Heart, not even aware of what she was saying. "He is scared of strangers…" Noticing that she was telling way too much, she stopped.

Matthew didn't say anything, just glanced again at the sleeping child in his arms and then to the door of the recovery room.

"How come he's afraid of strangers?" asked Brian. Heart looked terrified at the young boy in front of her.

"I think that I better go get some food for both of them," mumbled Heart. Before anyone could react, she disappeared.

Matthew looked after her as she ran away, without even answering his brother's question. Something was bothering him about Heart. She was hiding something. Something big, something serious. Something that obviously affected both Atlantis and little Matthew. He didn't like that at all.

The child stirred in his arms and his eyes slowly opened, only to widen in fear the next moment as he saw Sully.

Matthew followed little boy's gaze and held the shivering child closer to him, not actually knowing what scared him so much.

"That's all right, don't be afraid," Brian quickly jumped in. "That's our Pa."

Hiding his face in Matthew's jacket, the little boy sobbed:

«No…Pa mean. Pa hurt Ma.»

The three men exchanged stunned and worried looks. Nobody knew what to say. Sully figured that it would be better if he went away in order to give the child a chance to calm down.

"Brian, will you go with me to Grace's so we can help Heart to get some food?" Sully looked at Brian. His son nodded and they both left.

Matthew was grateful to Sully for what he did. There would be plenty of time for Atlantis' son to get to know all new people, but right now it wasn't the right moment.

"It's all right, Matthew, they're gone," he said quietly, giving the child a soft rub along his shoulders. The little boy hesitated for a moment, then looked up and saw that there was really nobody else there except him and this nice man. He already started to trust him.

"Your Pa hurt your Ma?"

Sad, little Matthew nodded. "Mummy is very sick. My Pa found us again and he hurt Ma. He would hurt me too like he did before, but Mummy yelled to me to run and I did. I hid in the bushes near our house until he was gone." Saying that, the child broke down in tears.

"_MATTHEW!!!! MATTHEW, RUN!!!!"_

Matthew felt like the blood drained from his veins.

It was her. It was her he dreamed of that night.

He held the little boy closer to him, his own eyes filling with tears…But, his expression was determined.

He would find that bastard. And he would bring him to the face of justice.

His gaze went back to the doors of the recovery room. He leaned against the back of the chair, gently rocking the crying little boy in his arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**My dearest KateTheSquirt, thank you soooo much for such a great review! As always, you guessed exactly what I wanted to say with my writing! Thanks for supporting my writing all these years, angel! I adore you!! **

**Chapter 5**

Night had fallen on the streets. Only an owl could be heard, its sad song echoing through the darkness.

Colleen sat by Atlantis' bedside, sponging her friend's forehead with cold water. During the evening, Atlantis' fever had come back, torturing her body for hours now. Dr. Mike gave her every medicine she could, the only hope left was willow bark tea and trying to bring her fever down with sponging.

Dr. Mike watched her daughter taking care of her friend. She could see that Colleen was exhausted.

«Colleen?» Dr. Mike gently touched her daughter's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze, «Colleen, go get some rest.»

«I can't leave her, Ma,» whispered Colleen. «What if she gets even worse?»

«I'll watch over her,» assured Dr. Mike. «Go, get some rest.»

Colleen looked at her mother and nodded.

«All right…But, only under one condition.»

«What's that?» asked Michaela.

«That when I get up, you go get some sleep,» were Colleen's words. Dr. Mike warmly smiled and nodded. Taking the sponge from her daughter's hands, she sat down on Atlantis' bedside.

~*~

Matthew was still sitting in the waiting room. Some time ago, Heart had come to take the boy, but the little one didn't want to go. Finally, Sully was able to convince Heart that her grandson would be just fine and that she should go to get some rest.

Matthew noticed the look that Heart gave him; she wasn't pleased about leaving Atlantis' son with him. Why? He didn't know.

It'd been already two hours since Heart left. The boy was still asleep when the doors of the recovery room opened and Colleen stepped out. Seeing her brother in the hallway confused her.

«Matthew? What are you doing here?» she asked.

«How is she?» was Matthew's reply.

«She developed a fever again.» Creasing her eyebrows, Colleen added, «But, Matthew…» It was then that she noticed the sleeping boy in her brother's arms and silently asked, «Who's that?»

«Atlantis' son.» He paused for a second, than added, «Matthew.» Colleen's eyes went wide in surprise and she gasped. Matthew glared intently at his sister as he asked her, «Did you know that she was coming?»

Taking in a deep breath, Colleen sat down beside her brother, watchful that she didn't wake up little Matthew.

«She sent me a letter about one and a half month ago. It was the first letter from her after five years. She asked about all of you and I told her…about Ingrid.» The last two words were barely audible and Colleen swallowed as she saw the pain flickering in her brother's eyes. «Matthew…,» she tried to explain, but he interrupted her, gently placing the little boy in her arms.

«Put him in bed, I don't want him to catch a cold.» As he saw Colleen's eyes filling with tears, his facial expression softened and he silently said, «It's all right, Colleen.»

«I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…,» she started talking again, but Matthew interrupted her this time as well, putting an arm around her shoulders and kissing her on the hair just above her forehead like he did so many times ever since Colleen could remember. Giving him a sad smile, she took the sleeping child in the room next to Atlantis to tuck him in.

Matthew watched his sister dissapearing behind the door with Atlantis' son. As the door closed, he leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. This hallway held so many sad memories that never stopped haunting him. The same room where Dr. Mike was now treating Atlantis was the room where he lost his Ma and Ingrid.

Letting out a laboured breath, he stepped away from the wall and started to pace along the hallway. There was nothing he could do now – except wait.

~*~

It was silent on the streets of Colorado Springs and the only lamp that was on was in the recovery room in Dr. Mike's clinic.

Matthew stared out of the window, looking in the distance. Now and then he gazed at the door of the recovery room, wondering why Dr. Mike hadn't come out yet.

He paced again up and down the hallway, and after the third time, he decided that he had enough. Determinedly, he pressed down the door knob and slowly opened the door.

His eyes fell on Dr. Mike who was asleep in her chair, right beside the bed. Stepping inside the room, Matthew took a blanket and covered his Ma.

It was than that his eyes stopped on a pale young woman laying in the bed.

Atlantis.

The memories of their meeting crossed his mind. She taught him how to walk on the wire, and he could still remember her sincere smile as he made it for the first time. He swallowed at the next memory: how he pushed her hand away from him in fear and she said with a hint of sarcasm and sadness in her voice, _«Don't worry, it's not contagious.»_

He remembered Colleen telling him back than that Atlantis had cut her fingers and then silently added that her friend was in love with him.

His eyes filled with tears as he recalled Ingrid asking him to go and talk to her.

And he still remembered their last conversation. He still remembered what he told her…

_«If I wasn't…you know – engaged… I would be honoured to have somebody as special like you to like me.»_

The smile that he got in a response and a sparkle in her eyes told him that with that one line he made her feel special for the first time in her life.

He didn't think that he would ever see Atlantis again. He remembered Colleen keeping in touch with her for some time, and how all of a sudden she stopped writing. He still remembered his sister's despair and her fear that something might have happened to her dear friend. The whole family had tried to find Atlantis and Heart, but without success.

And now, all of a sudden, they were here… She was back here.

Matthew stepped closer and noticed a few nasty bruises on Atlantis' face. His heart broke when her son's words came back to his mind, _"Mummy is very sick. My Pa found us again and he hurt Ma. He would hurt me too like he did before, but Mummy yelled to me to run and I did. I hid in the bushes near our house until he was gone."_

Taking a chair, he sat down opposite from Dr. Mike, careful not to wake her. Gently, he moved away one brown lock that had fallen on Atlantis' forehead.

«What happened to you, Atlantis?» he whispered, watching her face bathed in sweat from the fever, trying to answer the question himself. How did she end up with such a violent man and why hadn't Heart done anything before Atlantis got so sick?

Matthew didn't even realize that his hands took a hold of Atlantis'. He became aware of that just when her dry lips moved and she whispered in her sleep, «Matthew…»


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Matthew flinched slightly at hearing her silent voice calling his name. Her breathing fastened, and drops of sweat flew across her forehead.

«Dr. Mike!» In panic, Matthew called for his Mum and in next moment, Michaela was wide awake. Seeing the state Atlantis was in, she quickly jumped up from her chair and touched her brow.

«Her fever didn't break at all,» Michaela said, reaching for a cup on the table beside Atlantis' bed. She looked at her son and giving him the cup, she said, «Matthew, I need you to help me. Give her a bit of this tea, as much as she can take now, while I go and get some medicine.

Accepting the cup from Dr. Mike's hands, Matthew got up from the chair and sat on the edge of Atlantis bed, right beside her pillow. As he leaned against the wall, he gently picked her head up and brought the cup of willow bark tea toward Atlantis' lips. She shivered in fever and tossed her head left and right, mumbling some words that he couldn't make sense of, but he didn't want to give up. He continued on bringing the cup toward her lips until she finally took a few sips. Sobs escaped from her throat as she screamed, «NOOOOO! RUN, MATTHEW!!!!!»

Michaela turned in surprise and hurried back toward her patient. Preparing a medicine, she looked at Matthew, «Run from who?»

Matthew swallowed hard and whispered, «Not me. Her son.»

«Her son?» Dr. Mike asked in disbelief.

«He's asleep in the room next to this one,» Matthew explained, unconciously wiping the sweat from Atlantis' burning forehead.

«She named her son…after you?» whispered Michaela, catching the movement of her son's palm as it caresed Atlantis' hair that was wet from sweat.

He didn't say anything and Dr. Mike decided to leave the subject for now. Right now, the most important thing was to get Atlantis feel better. With Matthew's help, she managed to make Atlantis drink a bit of the medicine and some more tea. Atlantis' breathing appeared to settle a bit, but she was still mumbling silent words through soft whimpers.

«We should try to give her as much tea as possible. Hopefully, it will break her fever.» Exhausted, plopped back into her chair. Leaning her face in the palm of her right hand, she continued to watch the pale face of her patient. Seconds later, her gaze went to Matthew; she watched as he continued trying to get Atlantis take more tea.

Something was going on here…

But, like she thought before, now it wasn't the time for such a conversation. Still, she wanted to know something.

«Matthew?» As her son looked up at her, Dr. Mike asked, «Why did she scream for her son to run? Run from whom?»

Matthew took in a deep breath and slowly told his Ma what Atlantis' son confided to him. Michaela's eyes stopped on Atlantis' face, white as a sheet and full of bruises, and she felt tears rolling down her face. «Oh, my God,» she breathed.

«Ma, why don't you go and get some rest? I'll stay with Atlantis and will get you if she gets worse.»

As Michaela tried to protest, Matthew quickly continued, «Listen to me, please. You've been up all day and practically the entire night. If she doesn't feel better by the morning, she'll need you again. You have to get some of your strength back.»

Matthew had a point and Michaela knew it.

«All right. But, promise me that you will come to get me if she gets worse,» she said.

«I will, Ma.»

«You have fresh willow bark tea right there if you need more,» added Michaela as she got up and went toward the door.

As the door closed, Matthew took the sponge and placed it in a bucket with cold water. Gently, he started to wipe Atlantis' face. After some time, she stopped mumbling in her sleep and even drank a bit more of the willow bark tea. She seemed to drift off to a peaceful sleep. Careful, so as to not to wake her up, Matthew touched her forehead and breathed out in relief; it was less hot than before.

«You're gonna be just fine, Atlantis,» he whispered as his gaze left her face and stopped on the sky full of stars framed in the window.

~*~

Her eyelids felt like they weighed a ton, her throat was sore and desperately aching for water. She felt like the last ounce of her strength had been taken away from her body. As she finally managed to open her eyes, she took in her surroundings that were barely visible in the light of dawn.

Somebody was wiping her forehead with something cold and it felt so good. She laid in a comfortable position on the pillows and her head was leaning on somebody, making her breathing more easier. She moved her dry lips and slightly winced at the soreness of her throat.

The next moment, somebody's hand brought a cup toward her lips, and she eagerly took some sips. Breathing out in relief, she blinked a few times.

«Dr. Mike?» she whispered, assuming that the doctor was taking care of her.

«She's asleep, but it's all right. Your fever has broken.»

At hearing that voice, Atlantis felt her heart skip a beat. Her eyes went wide open only to fill with tears in the next moment. Gathering every little piece of her strength that she could find in her exhausted body, Atlantis looked up – and she saw him. She finally saw those blue eyes again.

«Matthew…», she whispered, hardly able to believe that she was not dreaming again. Oh, if she only had the strength left in her hands to pinch herself and see that it's not a dream!

«Hey,» he softly smiled down at her. «So you didn't forgot your best performer, huh?» he tried to light up her mood a bit.

She weakly smiled and her eyes started to close again. «Matthew,» she whispered, drifting off to sleep.

«Sleep, Atlantis. I'm here. Everything will be all right now.» As he said that, her hand took his hand and in only a few seconds, she was fast asleep. Gently caressing her palm with his thumb, Matthew whispered, «Sleep, Atlantis. I'm not going anywhere.»


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The first sunbeams sneaked through the curtains on the window and touched Altantis' face. She slowly opened her eyes, not feeling so much discomfort as she did a few hours ago. Although she still felt weak, she couldn't remember when was the last time she slept so soundly and well like she did during the past hours.

A movement on her hand caught her attention, and she looked down to see a thumb making gentle circles on the skin between her thumb and index finger. The sensations that flew through her veins at that simple touch from a man she loved endlessly made her wish that she could always lie here in his arms.

He was obviously oblivious to the fact that she had woken up because he didn't move. Atlantis kept on watching his hand and the words from Colleen's letter flew back into her mind.

_«My dear friend, so much things happened over here as well. Yes, I did finish the Medical School like I planned. Everybody here is just fine…well, except my brother Matthew. I know that he thinks that he can hide it from me, but I can see how much he is still hurting._

_Atlantis, he lost everything. Ingrid died a few years ago, of rabies. I don't know if you remember Brian's dog Pup, but he got bitten by a raccoon and got rabies. Sully locked him away in the barn, but when Pup accidentally spilled his bucket of water, Ingrid felt sorry for Brian getting upset about him. So, she opened the door and went to give him a new bucket of water. It was then when Pup attacked her, bit her through her sleeve and ran away. Dr. Mike took care of the wound immediatelly, but after two weeks, Ingrid got symptoms and there was nothing we could do. Atlantis, it was horrible; I still can't erase the image of her suffering so much from my mind. I still have nightmares of that and wake up crying in the middle of the night. She was such a darling person, she didn't deserve to die so young, she didn't deserve to suffer so much. Matthew was totally lost, he blamed Brian for what happened. After Ingrid's funeral, Brian disappeared one morning with a rifle! He went to search for Pup in order to shoot him. I was so scared, Atlantis, just from thinking that he might be standing all by himself in front of the wolf who had rabies! Luckily, we found him before Pup attacked him. Brian couldn't pull the trigger because he was crying too much, so Matthew took the rifle from him. He couldn't do it either, so Sully did. I swear to you, Atlantis, ever since my Mum died, nothing ever hurt me that much as seeing my dear brothers crushed like that, crying so much. _

_Matthew changed a lot since Ingrid died. He dived into work, and except a relationship with one girl, he stayed alone. He never talks about it, but I know that he is scared of loving somebody in his life again. Ingrid died, Emma left town, and he just went back into his shell. I'm so worried for him, Atlantis. He's wonderful with my baby sister Katie, he would be such a great dad, I just know that, but he closed his heart to love. So many of my friends from college who saw a photo of my family went head over heels for him, but he just doesn't dare to love again. And he is in so much pain, all that has taken its toll on him. It breaks my heart over and over again, Atlantis, I don't know what to do…»_

«Matthew?,» Atlantis whispered, gently squeezing his palm, and he looked down at her, concern written all over his face.

«Are you okay?» he asked, worried. «How do you feel?»

«Like a herd of circus elephants walked over me.» Now it was Atlantis who tried to light up his mood. She made it; she saw a flicker of smile curving his lips. At least for a second, but it was there.

«Do you need anything?» asked Matthew. «Want some water or tea? Are you hungry?»

Even though her stomach was aching for some warm meal, Atlantis shook her head. There was something much more important now.

«Matthew,» she silently called his name, still holding his hand, «Colleen told me what happened. I'm so sorry.»

Even though she didn't say the name, Matthew knew that she talked about Ingrid. He looked away, biting his lower lip. Atlantis noticed the painfull expression on his face, but knew that he needed to talk about it. «She was a lovely person. I will never forget our conversation.»

That did the trick. Matthew looked back at her face and smiled sadly.

«Yeah, you met her.»

«Yes, I did», nodded Atlantis. «She offered to watch over me, so if I got dizzy that she could take me to the clinic and get Dr. Mike. She was so worried for you when you started to walk on the wire that she asked me several times how I dare to do that and if there was really no danger to you. I told her not to worry, that you sure knew what you were doing. She was so happy and proud when you reached the other side of the wire.»

Atlantis voice drifted off and she stopped talking, seeing Matthew's eyes filling with tears. She wanted to tell him about her talk with Ingrid about him, but embarrassment stopped her from doing that. She still remembered how she'd said to Ingrid how lucky she was and how Ingrid smiled and replied that she was sure that Atlantis would find somebody nice too because she sure deserved it. There was not one bit of jealousy or malice in Ingrid's voice, and Atlantis felt her eyes filling with tears again at just the mere thought of that darling girl dying. «I'll never forget her,» whispered Atlantis.

That took Matthew off the guard. He looked down at her face again, his heart warming at what she just said. He knew all too well that back then Atlantis was in love with him, yet she talked about Ingrid like they'd been best friends. She truly felt sorry for his fianceé being robbed of a chance to live, it wasn't just an act of kindness. That showed him what a huge heart this young woman had.

«Thank you,» he silently said, really meaning it. This was the first time that someone tried to talk about Ingrid to him and that he didn't lash out at that person.

Atlantis tried to give him a comforting smile, but cough stopped her. A new wave of it attacked her, and it felt like her lungs were torn apart. She pressed a palm to her mouth, fighting for air, and as she coughed, a bit of blood showed up on her fingers, setting Matthew into panic.

«DR. MIKE!!!!» he quickly jumped up from the bed and rushed outside calling for his mother, «DR. MIKE, HURRY!!!!!»

Michaela ran out of her room and hurried to check on her patient.

«Easy, easy, darling,» she whispered, holding Atlantis as her cough started to calm down a bit. Gently, Michaela wiped the blood from Atlantis' fingers and helped her to take few sips of tea. «Try to drink some.» Saying that, she touched Atlantis' forehead and smiled, «Your fever broke, that's good. I'll give you something for your cough and if your temperature doesn't come back, you should be up in no time,» she tried to encourage Atlantis. Michaela knew that the girl would still have to stay in the bed for quite some time, but this was a start.

She helped Atlantis to lie back onto the pillow, and as she started to prepare the medicine, her eyes stopped at her son who still stood in the doorway. It was only then that she noticed his facial expression. He was beyond himself with worry.

Before she could say anything, Heart showed up at the door.

«How is my girl?»

Matthew noticed a panic flickering over Atlantis' face the moment Heart spoke up. She looked at him for just a second while her mother reached down to give her a kiss, and Matthew could read fear in her big brown eyes.

«Heart,» he said with a stern voice. The older woman turned and looked at him, somewhat annoyed, but he kept his posture and added, «I wanna talk to you.»

«Certainly, but not now, I'm…,»she tried to protest, but Matthew interrupted her «NOW, HEART.»

Taken aback by the firm tone of his voice, Heart flashed him an icy look before she stormed out of the recovery room. Glancing at Atlantis, Matthew sent her a silent promise that everything would be all right. Then he went to find Heart.

Relieved, Atlantis closed her eyes. Finally, after so many years, she felt safe. Protected.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Matthew stepped out of the clinic and looked around toward Bray's store. No sight of Heart. As he looked toward the bridge, he noticed her walking over it and ran to catch up with her. The fact that she just ran off from him confirmed his suspicions; whatever Atlantis had gone through, Heart had a saying in it. Now he was sure of it. He still remembered how she treated Atlantis back when he first met them. Obviosuly, it only turned worse.

It was in the middle of the meadow when he caught up with her. She was startled to see him, but Matthew didn't buy any of her circus acts. She couldn't play innocence anymore.

«I said that I wanna talk to you,» he firmly said.

«Said?» Heart raised her eyebrows «No. You shouted, young man. And I dissaprove such tone. You oughta be ashamed of yourself! I am old enough to be your mother!»

If he hadn't seen the fear that flashed in Atlantis' eyes just few minutes ago, Matthew would accept this criticism and apologize for his behaviour. However, not this time.

«I don't think that you realize the seriousness of the situation, Heart. Atlantis is very sick and beyond that – she has been mentally and physically abused, as well as the boy! And you're gonna tell me exactly what happened, and you're gonna tell me NOW,» said Matthew, highlighting the last word.

«I don't need to explain myself to you!»hissed Heart. «That is none of your business!»

«You're wrong. It is my business.» That reply from him hit the nerve in Heart and she stared at him, gritting her teeth.

«It is none of your business. You're not her relative. Or her husband.»

«No,» said Matthew. «But I am her lawyer.»

«What the…», Heart gasepd, only to lift her chin, «You can't do anything. Atlantis is in no shape to go before court, let alone ask for legal help.»

«Well, lets leave that to Atlantis to decide, shall we?» Matthew didn't allow her to win this fight.

«She'll never listen to you, only me!» hissed Heart.

That was the last straw for Matthew's patience. He stepped a bit closer to Heart, and staring into her eyes he sternly said, «If I find out that you hurt Atlantis or her son in any way, I will personally get a restraining order to keep you away from them until the whole truth is out. Is that clear?» And without waiting for an answer, Matthew turned around and went back toward the clinic, leaving Heart totally speechless.

~*~

«Mummy! MUMMY!» Cries full of fear could be heard and Atlantis gasped.

«, that's my son, I gotta go get him,» she tried to take off the blankets, but couldn't do it. Her strength abandoned her.

«Sssshhhhh, dear, don't move. I'll go get him. You just lay here,» tried to sooth her. She was out before her patient could protest. Atlantis knew how scared her son became of people he didn't know. She listened to the doctor's steps and when she heard the door opening, she exclaimed loud enough for her son to hear her, «Matthew, it's all right. This lady will bring you to me. Don't be scared, baby. Come with her, Mummy is waiting for you.»

Michaela noticed how pale the child turned when she opened the door and she could swear that he was about to scream, judging his facial expression. That was when Atlantis' voice was heard, and the little boy hesitated for a moment, before he accepted Dr. Mike's hand.

All of Atlantis' senses were directed to the doorway, and when Dr. Mike showed up, carrying her son, she broke down in happy tears.

«MUMMY!!!!» her son mirrored her happiness and flew toward her. Atlantis welcomed him within her arms and tightly hugged him.

«Oh, my baby!» she sobbed, kissing his soft hair. «Are you okay, sweetie? Are you okay?»

The child clung to her, silent but happy to be in his Mum's embrace.

Dr. Mike decided to give them a moment alone.

«I'll be downstairs if you need me, Atlantis,» she quietly said. Atlantis nodded at her, thanking her with her eyes. She held onto her child, warm tears rolling down her cheeks. She had been so worried for her son.

«I was scared, Mummy,» whispered the boy.

«Ooooh, my baby, why? Mummy is fine. Sssshhhhh,» Atlantis tried too sooth her child.

«I was calling for you for days and you didn't wake up,»sobbed the little boy.

Atlantis closed her eyes, blinking her tears away. She knew that she had been unconciouss for a while and assumed that her son was beside her all the time.

«I am okay now, honey. Mummy was just sleeping. Sssshhhh, don't cry, my angel, don't cry,» she whispered, gently rocking her son in her arms.

Matthew took the last steps along the hallway where the recovery room was. He heard soft sobs coming from Atlantis' room and recognized little Matthew's voice. Carefully, he crept toward the door, trying to hear their conversation.

«Grandma told me that you are sleeping, but I could always wake you up. Even when Pa hit you. But, I couldn't now.» The little boy's words broke Matthew's heart.

Swallowing hard, Atlantis kissed her son's forehead, «I am awake now, Matthew. And I feel much better. Dr. Mike's been taking good care of me. I will be up soon, and we will go fishing,» she gently smiled, wiping the tears from her son's cheeks.

«Brian's brother told me he will take me fishing,» beamed the child.

«Matthew?»Atlantis breathed in disbelief.

«Nooooo, Brian's brother!,» giggled the boy. Atlantis bit her lower lip, barely holding her tears back.

«I know, honey. His name is also Matthew,» she softly explained, moving a hair from her little boy's forehead.

The child tilted his head to the right a bit, looking at his Mum, confusion written all over his face. «It is?»

As his Mum nodded, little Matthew asked, with a child's innocence, «Why, Mummy?»

Atlantis couldn't lie to her son. He worshiped her, he was so attached to her and to discover one day that she lied to him, would break his heart. Atlantis knew that very well.

«Because I wanted to remember him forever,» she explained, trying not to cry. «He's the only one who made me feel special.» Swallowing hard, she added «And I like him.»

«Me too,» her son nodded in agreement. Atlantis couldn't hold back the smile that crept up on her lips.

«Oh, really, you do?»she tickled her little boy and the child giggled with delight. «But, that's going to be our little secret, okay, Matthew?»

«Okay,» giggled the boy. As his Mummy tickled him even more, he shrieked with laughter, «Okay, I promise!»

Matthew felt his eyes filling with tears. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, breathing hard.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

During the next few days, Dr. Mike didn't go away from Atlantis' room. Afraid that her son might catch the cough, she agreed with Atlantis to put the little boy in the room next to hers where the whole Sully family, including little Katie, watched over him. The little boy already started to get more comfortable with the new faces around him, but Dr. Mike still kept a watchful eye on Atlantis' son. She already wired her colleague in Boston, who was a psychiatrist, asking for advice. The boy had obviously gone through traumatic experiences and they surely left scars on him. Dr. Mike was determined to work with the boy until he was healed.

But there was somebody, besides Atlantis, who started to play a crucial role in little boy's healing.

Atlantis' fever had vanished, and it wasn't back for already two days now. Colleen was thrilled to see her friend getting better and better. She spent hours by Atlantis' bedside as they had a lot of catching up to do, and Colleen already planned so many things that they would do when Atlantis got well completely.

Heart has been coming for short visits, but never stayed long. There was something that had changed in her attitude, and Atlantis was grateful that they didn't have those talks like they used to have before. As her cough calmed down with each day and her fever broke, Atlantis could think more clearly. She realized now that she had a chance to escape the torture of the last few years, and she was determined to do so. This was a crossroad for her and her son; either they could start a new life or they were lost.

On Friday morning, Atlantis woke up very early. Taking a sip of lemonade, she caught the glimpse of herself in the mirror. Creasing her brow, she took it in and let out a frustrated sigh. Her hair was a mess.

The door slammed opened, revealing little Matthew trotting alongside with Katie. They were carrying trays with food, their faces beaming with pride.

«Look, Mummy! Mrs. Grace allowed Katie and me to bring you breakfast!» exclaimed little Matthew, grinning.

«And we didn't spilled one bit!»Katie joined in her new friend's happiness. Atlantis couldn't help but smile to the two children in front of her.

«Well, it's a good thing that you didn't spill anything because I'm starving.»

As Katie reached her bed and placed the tray on Atlantis' lap, the young woman smiled, «My goodness, breakfast in bed!» Winking at the little girl, she said «Thank you, lady Katie.»

Katie giggled, proudly looking up at Atlantis. She already liked this woman a lot and hoped that, once she got out of the bed, she would teach her how to get a rabbit out of 's hat. Brian had told her that Atlantis was in a circus once, so the little girl couldn't wait to learn a trick or two. Atlantis promised her she'd do it, so all that was left for Katie was to wait patiently. But in Katie's dictionary, «patience» was an unknown word.

«, do you feel better today?» beamed Katie, her eyes wide open.

Chewing on her first bite, Atlantis knew exactly what the little girl was asking.

«Yeah, but first I would have to eat something and fix my hair in order to do some magic,» sighed Atlantis, pretending to be upset.

Katie instantly offered her help, «I can brush your hair! I always brush Mummy's hair!»

Before Atlantis could protest, her son opened a drawer, taking the brush out of it and gave it to Katie. The little girl jumped on Atlantis bed and positioned herself behind her. With her eyes squeezed and the tongue peeking out from her mouth a bit, she gave a critical look at Atlantis hair and decided to start on the right side. Atlantis was surprised how gently was Katie brushing her hair. Smiling, she looked at Katie's foot. «What's that?»

Not even noticing Matthew in the doorway, both kids followed Atlantis' gaze revealing a red flower that showed up out of nowhere. Atlantis gasped, «Oooh, look, it's a flower!» She looked at Katie and put the flower behind the little girl's ear.

Katie squealed with joy. «Hey, how did you do that?!»

«I told you my Mummy can do magic!» little Matthew reminded his friend proudly. «You know that once she found a pearl behind my ear?»

«NO!!» Katie's eyes went wide in surprise.

«You mean one like this one?» asked Atlantis, reaching behind her son's ear. Something sparkled in her fingers and both kids giggled, jumping with their little feet on the bed.

«Ouch, ouch!» yelped Atlantis through laughter. Her muscles were still too sore to handle two little children jumping around on her bed.

«Hey, you two, get down from there!» Matthew's voice was heard. «This isn't a dance floor,» he added, chuckling.

Atlantis silently gasped, hearing his voice. She felt his eyes upon her face and felt a warmth running through her veins, praying that she wouldn't blush.

Her little son obeyed and stepped down from the bed, then rushed toward Matthew.

«MATTHEW!»the child happily exclaimed, throwing himself into the young man's arms. Matthew smiled, welcoming him in his embrace. The little boy's eyes lit up with joy. «We're gonna go fishing today?»

«We have to ask your Mum first,» replied Matthew, winking at him.

«Pleeeeaseeee, Muuuummyyyyy?» the little boy pleaded. Matthew looked at Atlantis, barely containing his smile.

«Only if you promise that you won't go in the water and that you will listen to Matthew,» was all that Atlantis could say, praying that her voice didn't shiver.

«I promise!» nodded her son happily. Atlantis smiled at him, softly shaking her head and than looked at Matthew.

«You sure he won't be any trouble? I mean, if you have other things to do…,»she started to talk, but Matthew interrupted her as he walked toward the bed.

«No trouble at all. We'll go catch us a dinner and I'll show him the animals at the homestead, if that's okay with you.»

Being this close to Matthew with him holding her son in his arms made Atlantis unable to speak. She just nodded, her eyes filling with tears.

«All right then,» smiled Matthew. «You just concentrate on getting better, eat, sleep and don't worry about one thing.» With those words, Matthew leaned down and softly touched her cheek with his lips.

«Katie, wanna come with us?» asked little Matthew, but the girl shook her head no, while still brushing Atlantis' hair.

«Can't you see I'm busy?» she replied, concentrated on her task.

It brought a smile on Atlantis lips and one tear escaped from her eye. As he started to straighten up, Matthew gently wiped that tear with his finger away from her cheek.

Giving her a soft smile, he went outside the room, while little Matthew bombarded him with questions about the animals he wanted to show him.

Atlantis just sat there, her breakfast forgotten. As Katie brushed her hair, the young woman felt like time stood still, and she gently touched the place on her cheek where Matthew's lips were just a few seconds ago.

Katie frowned at seeing Atlantis not eating. If she didn't eat, she wouldn't heal quickly, and if she didn't get well quickly than she wouldn't be able to show her those tricks!

Huffing in frustration, Katie sat on the bed and placed the brush away. She took some corn bread and practically pushed it in front of Atlantis lips. As the young woman looked at her with surprise, Katie put on a serious face.

«Didn't you hear what Matthew said? You have to eat to get better. And that's true. My big brother is always right. I know that,»Katie nodded to each of her words, and Atlantis couldn't help but smile.

«You're right, I'm sorry.» Taking a bite from the bread, Atlantis looked at Katie sitting opposite her and suddenly asked, «Katie? Would you hand me that napkin over? It lies there on the bed.»

«Sure.» As Katie turned around to get the napkin, Atlantis gasped, pretending to be surprised, «Hey, what's that?»

«What's what?», Katie creased her brow.

«In your hair,» winked Atlantis. Katie held her breath and reached behind her head. Her eyes went wide in surprise as she touched something soft. She quickly pulled her hand in front of her only to see a white flower.

«IT'S A WHITE FLOWER!!»grinned Katie. «I DID IT!» She threw herself in Atlantis' arms and the young woman hugged her, laughing happily.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As the door closed behind an excited Katie who ran off to show her mum the flowers that she found by magic, Atlantis lay back on the pillows, closing her eyes. Her head was hurting and she knew that she had to rest. Too much excitement. The smile she saw on her son's face a few minutes ago brought happy tears to her eyes. Biting her lower lip, Atlantis opened her eyes and looked at the sky through the window, her tears now rolling freely down her cheeks.

~*~

Matthew glanced down at the little boy sitting on the blanket beside him and hid his smile. The kid surely couldn't sit still, he was fidgeting impatiently, his brown eyes set on the water in front of them, barely blinking. He couldn't wait for a fish to bite.

«You know, if you don't settle down, the fishes will run away,» said Matthew, trying to keep a serious face, earning himself a frustrated huff in a response from Atlantis' son.

«How can they run if they don't have legs?» asked little Matthew.

«Well, they can swim very fast. Sure, they don't have legs, but they do have fins, you know,» replied Matthew with a smile on his face.

«Are there many fishes out here?» asked the little boy looking up at Matthew. As he received a nod in a response, he turned his gaze back to the water, and after a few moments of silence, he whispered, «I wanna surprise Mummy with catching the biggest fish ever.»

Matthew glanced down at the boy.

«You know, your mum will be happy with a small fish, too.»

«I know,» nodded the child. «But I really wanna catch a big fish. She deserves the best.»

That sentence touched Matthew's heart deeply; the little boy was obviously very attached to Atlantis and already wanted to give her the world. It pained Matthew to even think what the two of them must have been through. He was tempted to ask the child about that, but he didn't want to upset him. This little one needed to heal, and Matthew was determined to help him in that.

Therefore, he just nodded, «I agree.»

In that moment, little Matthew's fishing stick started to move. The child gasped in surprise, his whole face lit up with a smile, «Matthew! Matthew, look! I caught a fish!»

Matthew got up from the blanket and stood beside the child, helping him to pull the fish out of the water. They stepped in the water and little Matthew giggled as the fish splashed water on them. As they finally made it to pull the fish out, the child gasped in surprise and then laughed happily. The fish was quite big and the little boy jumped up and down with joy.

Matthew smiled; it felt so right to see this little boy smile and jump happily. He started to relax more and more each day, and he was quickly becoming what he should be; a happy child. Such a small boy shouldn't have to carry so much on his shoulders, and Matthew was determined to lift that burden up, no matter what the costs.

~*~

«Wow, this is all yours?,» little Matthew took in the home and the barn. Not even waiting for Matthew to reply, he ran toward the chicken coop and tried to glance over the fence to see the chickens. Matthew lifted him in his arms, and the child looked down at the sight before him, the big smile never leaving his face.

«They sure eat a lot,» he giggled, making Matthew smile as well.

«Yep, they do. Come on, lets see the horses and the cow.»

The child happily agreed, and when they entered the barn, he caressed all the animals there, calling their names after Matthew told them. He gave some food to the horses and giggled when they took it from his hand.

After they took a look on all the animals, they went inside the house. Matthew set a fire to warm the place up, while little Matthew ran around the house, peeking into every corner.

«Hungry?» asked Matthew. As the child nodded, Matthew added, «Come on. Let's eat and then we will go to see your mum. It's getting late alreday, she must have started to worry.»

~*~

Atlantis took the blanket off and slowly got up. Her ribs still hurt, but she was desperate for some fresh air. Reaching the window, she opened it and took a deep breath, then looked down at the street.

The sun started to descend as people began to finish their working day and got ready to go home. There was Loren, locking up the store and waving for Jake to join him for a drink in the saloon. Katie and Samantha were sitting on the clinic porch, playing with their dolls. Grace passed by, carrying a basket full of food and heading toward the livery.

Atlantis watched them all, an aching feeling settling in her heart. Would she ever be able to have a normal life like all these nice people? Would she ever start to look forward to the new day instead of fearing every sound she heard?

It was then when she noticed a horse approaching. She could hear a child's giggling and as she looked better, her heart skipped a beat.

It was her son's laughter she heard. Her eyes set on the face of the man who was riding the horse, his arms safely holding the child in front of him.

Matthew.

In such a short time he'd managed to win her son's trust, and it was obvious that little Matthew adored him. Atlantis pressed her lips tightly together, allowing herself to get lost in the moment, at least for a bit. How wonderful would it be if they could stay…if they were a family…

Shaking her head slowly, Atlantis closed the window. NO. She couldn't drag Matthew into her mess. He deserved a chance to be happy, to love again, to have a wife. He didn't need all the problems she carried with herself.

No. She couldn't make his life a living hell.

«MUMMY!!» Her son burst into her room, carrying a big fish, «Look, Mummy! Look what I caught!»

Atlantis smiled, trying to hide her feelings, «Wow, that's quite a fish you caught, darling!» She kneeled down slowly and kissed her son's cheek as the child beamed with pride and happiness.

Matthew stopped at the doorway, watching this heart-warming scene. Still, he was worried.

«Atlantis, you're up?» he asked.

She looked up at him and nodded, «Needed a bit of fresh air. Dr. Mike said that it's all right, as long as I take it easy.»

«Okay. But make sure you do take it easy,» Matthew was still concerned.

«I'm gonna show the fish to Katie!» little Matthew stated and ran off. Atlantis smiled, watching her son leaving.

«Thanks for taking him fishing,» she said, trying to get up. A gasp escaped her as she tried to straighten up, and she put her palm on her ribs, closing her eyes in pain.

Instinctively, Matthew held her upper arms to steady her, and she leaned onto his hand, trying to catch a breath.

«You all right?» asked Matthew, growing even more concerned.

Atlantis nodded, «Yeah. It was just too much excitement today.» As the pain calmed down, she opened her eyes.

«You should lay down, come on,» said Matthew, but Atlantis protested.

«No, I'm fine, just a bit sore. My ribs hurt,» she breathed.

Seeing that she wouldn't comply, Matthew picked her in his arms, ever so slowly, and carried her toward the bed. As he gently placed her down, his eyes caught hers and for a moment, he couldn't move. In that moment it felt like everything fell into place. There wasn't emptyness in his heart anymore.

Swallowing hard, Atlantis took her hand away from his neck. «Thank you,» she whispered, not being able to look away from his blue eys. It felt like he could reach into her soul and heal every wound. Her heart was pounding as she watched him so close.

Matthew could feel his heart quickening and he knew right at that moment what was happening to him. For the last few days, he'd tried to deny it, to assure himself that he only wanted to help Atlantis and her son… But he wanted so much more, he knew that. Being with Atlantis made him feel complete. And he hadn't felt that way ever since Ingrid died…not even with Emma.

And that was a feeling that he didn't want to throw away that easily.

He knew it was too early now to do anything. She still needed to recover completely, and he could still read the fear in her eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was to frighten her.

Therefore, he leaned down and while his fingers took away one brown lock that fell in her face, he gently kissed her forehead.

As his lips lingered on her brow for a while, Atlantis closed her eyes, not being able to hold back her tears.

«Matthew…» A whisper escaped her mouth. As his palm cupped her left cheek, she opened her eyes and looked at him, forgetting all the thoughts she had before about leaving.

«Get some rest,» he silently said. As she held onto his hand like for dear life, he added, «I'll be here when you wake up.»

She closed her eyes, never letting go of his hand. As their joined hands rested on the bed, Atlantis drifted off to a peaceful sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The streets of Colorado Springs were barely visible as the sun shyly started to rise behind Pikes Peak.

Horace yawned as he stepped down the stairs that led him to his office. Another working day was about to begin.

The door squeaked a bit as he opened it and he shook his head, frustrated. He should definitely ask Robert E. to fix this door as the sound of that squeak was driving him nuts.

He stretched and yawned once again before turning to go and sit in his chair. But, before he could even make three steps, somebody gripped his shoulder firmly with a hand and Horace yelped, startled.

«Sssshhhh, you'll wake up the dead! » a female's voice was heard and Horace frowned as he turned around.

«Mrs. Heart?» he huffed. «You almost gave me a heart attack.»

«Well, if I did, I'm sure that our dearest could fix ya. She's good at that,» was Heart's reply and Horace couldn't help but notice a hint of sarcasm in the woman's voice. But before he could say anything else, she handed him a piece of paper, «I need to send this as soon as possible.»

«That's what I'm here for,» smiled Horace, taking the sheet.

«It is very important that you sent it immediately,» Heart said seriously.

Horace read what was written on the paper: _«We're in Colorado Springs.»_

«Oh, you are contacting a relative?» he asked, sitting behind the telegraph. Heart raised her left eyebrow.

«Yes, a relative,» slightly leaning over the counter, the red haired woman added, «And it's confidential, Horace.»

As the tall man looked confused at her, she faked a smile ,«It's a surprise for Atlantis.»

Grinning, Horace nodded, «Don't worry. I took an oath.»

«Good,» Heart plastered a smile on her face. «Have a good day, Horace.»

«You too, Ma'am.»

Heart stepped out of the telegraph office and looked around. Nobody had seen her.

«Good,» she whispered as she stepped down the stairs and strolled down the street.

~*~

«You'll need to carry these bandages for a while longer and take it easy because your ribs are still sensitive. Other than that, you can start to take few small walks each day, but don't overdo it,» Dr. Mike said, softly smiling at Atlantis.

«And I brought you a dress for your first walk,» Colleen chimed in, carrying a light green dress with red lace around its neckline.

«Oh, Colleen, it's beautiful,» whispered Atlantis. «You shouldn't have to.»

Colleen smiled happily as she sat beside her friend on the bed. «Come on, silly, I'll help you get dressed and then we can go over to Grace's for getting some pie and coffee.»

«I'll leave you two alone and take Katie and Matthew for lunch,» smiled Dr. Mike. «Colleen, make sure that Atlantis takes it easy.»

«I will, Ma,» nodded Colleen.

«See you at Grace's then,» said Michaela and went toward the door.

As Michaela left the room, Colleen carefully pulled the dress over her friend's head and slowly took her hands to put them into the sleeves. Atlantis bit her lower lip as her ribs reacted to the movement.

«You all right?» Colleen raised her eyebrows.

«Yeah, it's just still a bit sore like Dr. Mike said,» replied Atlantis.

«You sure you're up to go for a walk?» Colleen was worried.

«Yeah,» nodded Atlantis. «I'll go crazy if I stay between these four walls another second.»

At that, both girls giggled and got up from the bed. Atlantis glanced down at the dress as Colleen brushed her long brown hair, careful not to do it harshly when she came to the soft curls at the end of Atlantis' hair.

«The dress is beautiful, Colleen,» whispered Atlantis.

«You look beautiful in it,» smiled Colleen.

«I still have that blue dress you gave me when I was here last time,» whispered Atlantis and the friends hugged each other. «It's so good to be here again,» Atlantis added quietly.

«I'm so glad you came back,» whispered Colleen, tears of happiness collecting in her eyes. She was so grateful for Atlantis' presence; she could see the effect it had. Her older brother was coming back to life. Even though nobody said anything to her, even though nothing actually happened, Colleen could see it. She knew Matthew very well; she could read her brother's face better than anyone else. She could see the smiles that had been coming back in his eyes recently when he spent time with Atlantis' son, and how it healed the souls of them both. Colleen knew that Matthew understood better than anybody else what it is like to have a bad father.

Now, that she was grown up, Colleen understood better the sacrifice her brother made years ago when their father abandoned them and left their mother with nothing. It was Matthew who stopped being a kid back then; it was Matthew who went out and did all kind of jobs; rounded up cattle for Miss Olive, chopped wood for the Browns when Mr. Brown was lying with his leg broken. It was Matthew who looked after her and Brian every time when their ma went to deliver a baby or cook dinner for guests in the boarding house. It was Matthew who hid his tears from her and Brian when their ma died and always comforted them when they looked up at him. It was Matthew who hugged her and calmed her down when Ethan came back for the second time and tried to talk to her and she ran off.

She saw him now, with little Matthew, finally getting some help for himself. Finally healing. And as far as Atlantis' son was concerned, he adored Matthew. Colleen could see that in their small conversations and the large amount of time they spent together while Atlantis was so sick.

And she could definitely see what was going on between her brother and her friend. She couldn't count all the times she opened the door of the recovery room and saw Matthew asleep in a chair next to Atlantis' bedside. She saw the fear in his eyes during the first few days; she saw the relief on his face when Dr. Mike said that Atlantis would be just fine. She saw every look her brother gave to Atlantis.

«Thank you,» whispered Colleen, still hugging her friend.

«For what?» Atlantis asked, confused.

Colleen pulled back and wiped at her tears. «For being here,» she whispered.

Atlantis creased her brow in confusion, but Colleen didn't say anything else. She took Atlantis' hand and went toward the door.

~*~

«Thanks, Loren, I'll be back after lunch to pick up those supplies,» said Matthew, shaking hands with Loren.

«I'll have them ready by then,» the old man smiled as he started to get on with his work.

Matthew left the mercantile and started to walk down the street, planning to find Katie and Matthew in order to see whether those two were in the mood for some lunch and Grace's apple pie.

He reached the clinic and knocked on the doors.

«Dr. Mike?» he called. As nobody replied, he shrugged, reckoning that they all were probably at Grace's already. Deciding to just go on and check, he stepped down from the porch – and in that moment, the door that led toward recovery rooms opened, causing him to turn around.

His heart skipped a beat as he saw Atlantis slowly walking out onto the porch, supported by his sister. Colleen was holding Atlantis around her waist with one hand while Atlantis held Colleen's other hand to steady herself. As they reached the porch, both girls smiled and looking up, Atlantis met Matthew's blue eyes.

Her breath got caught in her lungs as her eyes took in his handsome features. She could feel her heartbeat quickening. She didn't even notice that her grip on Colleen's arm tightened, but Colleen did and hid a smile.

"Hey," Matthew finally found his voice. "You're up?"

Atlantis nodded, "Just for lunch and a short walk."

As Matthew nodded, Colleen rolled her eyes. These two were totally hopeless.

"Matthew, care to help me here?" Colleen tried to sound frustrated. "She still can't walk well by herself." Raising her eyebrows, Colleen shot daggers at her brother with her eyes.

"Uhm, yeah, sure," Matthew quickly stepped back on the porch and stopping at Atlantis' left side, he gently wrapped his hand around her waist. He couldn't take his eyes off her; she was gorgeous. That dress fit her just perfectly and her hair had a scent of a million roses.

Atlantis felt warmth coming up her spine as she felt Matthew's hand encircling her waist for support. She looked up at him. His eyes were resting on her face, offering so much comfort… and was there something else or did she just imagined that she saw love in those blue orbs?

They slowly went toward Grace's, all three of them watching each step that Atlantis made. As they reached the café, they saw Katie and little Matthew waving to them from the table where they sat with Dr. Mike, Sully and Brian.

Colleen stepped aside a bit, allowing Matthew to help Atlantis sit on the chair by himself. She shared a look with Dr. Mike and they both smiled. So did Sully and Brian. Nobody couldn't help but notice how gentle Matthew was with Atlantis and how she clung to him.

"You okay?" Matthew asked concerned as Atlantis sat down, closing her eyes and taking in a shivering breath.

As she looked back at him, he felt her look reaching the most hidden parts of his heart and healing every wound there.

"I am, thank you," was her quiet reply.

He softly smiled at her and sat down on the chair beside Atlantis, turning toward Katie who wanted to show him the flowers she picked up before lunch. Katie giggled as her big brother scooped her up on his lap and started to show him each flower, having a special story for each one of them.

Listening to the little girl's chatting, Atlantis felt a smile coming upon her lips. She watched Matthew as he pretended that he didn't know anything about the flowers that the child was showing him and smiled every time at Katie's delight to teach her brother something new. Katie gave one flower per one to her brother, putting all her strength in the explanations. _He is so good with her_, thought Atlantis, not being able to take her eyes off Matthew's handsome face.

She was disturbed from her thoughts by small hands on her left leg and looking down, she saw her son looking up at her with the biggest grin ever. She smiled widely back at him and slowly picked him up on her lap, giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, my darling, what have you been up to?" she asked her son, slowly rocking him on her lap.

"I helped Katie to pick up the flowers for you, Mummy," replied the little boy, smiling widely.

"Yeah, we picked them just for you!" confirmed Katie.

"Looks like these are for you," Matthew's voice was heard and Atlantis looked at him, not knowing what to say. His gentle smile and sparkling blue eyes hid everything else from her sight and she slowly accepted the flowers from his hand, feeling herself blushing intensively.


	12. Chapter 12

[color=darkred][b]Chapter 12[/b][/color]

«I thought I should get started on fixing the barn's roof before the winter starts,» said Sully as he took another bite of his meat loaf.

"Sounds good," nodded Michaela. Noticing Horace walking over to the café, she asked, "Did letters arrive today? Anything from Washington?"

"Nope, still nothing," was his reply.

"What's in Washington?" Colleen wanted to know. Michaela and Sully shared a look with each other.

"I just contacted one of my colleagues," replied , smiling at her daughter. "I've been expecting an answer, but still nothing."

"Oh. Well, if it's a medical case, perhaps I can help?" Colleen tried to find out more.

"Oh, no, it's nothing, really. I just asked him about a case we worked on together a long time ago," Dr. Mike tried to get out.

"What was it about?" this time, Brian chimed in.

"It was a psychiatric problem, and I read about some new research, so I was just interested in knowing more." Dr. Mike quickly sipped on her coffee to avoid further questions. It seemed like the children were done asking, and they all carried on with their lunch.

Worried that the kids might continue with questioning, Sully decided to come to Michaela's rescue. He pushed his plate away and taking a cup of coffee, he looked at Matthew.

"Matthew, I got those tools you needed to borrow for fixing the house. They're in the back of the wagon, we can get them after we're finished with lunch."

"Thanks, Sully," nodded Matthew. "I just need to get some supplies from Loren and will come to pick up the tools as soon as I finished that."

Before Sully could say anything else, little Matthew asked curiously, "What are you fixing?"

Matthew looked down at him and smiled, "Ah, some fences broke, and there are some things in the house that need to be fixed, too."

"Can I help you?" the child smiled hopefully.

"Well, I think we should have to ask your Mum first," Matthew winked at the little boy, a smile showing up on his lips as he looked at Atlantis.

"Can I go, Mummy, pleeeaaaseee?"

"Oh, darling, you can't do big men's jobs yet, and Matthew wouldn't finish any of his work if he would have to watch you all the time," Atlantis tried to explain to her son, but Matthew interrupted her, "It's fine, Atlantis, really."

"Are you sure?" she felt her cheeks flushing from the warmth that was coming out of his blue eyes. She knew she had already lost the battle; here she was, receiving a plea from the two most important men in her life – how could she say no?

Letting out a defeated breath, she simply nodded, "All right, but only if you promise that you won't disturb Matthew while he works, okay?"

The child was about to confirm that he would behave, but that was when Katie jumped in with a suggestion, eager to help her friend, "You can come as well and look after him while Matthew works!"

"Katie…," Sully looked at his daughter, but the little girl was so excited about her helping her friend that she didn't even notice the tone of her dad's voice.

If her cheeks could get even more red, Atlantis was sure that it was happening right now. "Oh, Katie, I don't think that I am still up to it…," she hopefully looked at Dr. Mike, but Michaela simply shrugged, saying over her cup, "Don't see why not, as long as you take it easy."

Sully looked bewildered at his wife, but her only response to his look of disbelief was to take a long sip of her coffee.

That caught Atlantis off guard, and her eyes searched Matthew's, even though that was the last thing she wanted to do because she knew; if she took one look at those eyes she loved so much, she wouldn't win this battle.

And she lost it. Big time – because what she saw in his eyes and on his face showed her that he liked the idea. Smiling nervously she nodded, causing her son to squeal happily and clung tightly around her neck, hugging her like he would never let go. She let out a small laugh, hugging her little darling back.

~*~

Sully closed the wagon, making sure the supplies that Matthew just brought from Loren's store wouldn't fall off during the ride.

"All set,"Sully firmly said, joining his wife on the porch of the clinic.

Atlantis stood beside Dr. Mike, nervously fidgeting with her shawl as she watched Matthew picking up her son from the ground and putting him on the wagon, making sure that he was secured on his seat. Her vision got blurred from tears as she watched how Matthew treated her child – like a father would treat his son.

Her eyes stopped at the front of the wagon and the horse who was stomping his right front foot on the ground, eager to start with the ride. She was about to spend a day with Matthew; alone, at his home…Was she ready for that?

As he made sure that the little boy was safe in the back of the wagon, Matthew smiled at the child and turned around. A wave of warmth flushed over him as he looked at the young woman that stood beside Dr. Mike and Sully on the porch. He felt such peace as he took in her beautiful face, and he stepped toward her, simply asking, "Ready?"

One word from him was enough for Atlantis to forget everything else. She slightly nodded and slowly stepped down from the porch. Feeling him by her side, she wished that time would stop and make her feel always safe and protected like she felt around him.

And it was then when a thought entered her mind and she quickly turned over to look at Dr. Mike and Sully.

"Please, don't tell my mother where are we."

Michaela creased her eyebrows, but softly smiled and nodded. So did Sully.

Atlantis cast a thankful glance at the two of them, and holding Matthew's hand as she was still too weak, she reached the wagon. Gritting her teeth in order to send the pain away from her ribs, she accepted Matthew's help when she started to climb onto the wagon. As she sat down, she let out a small breath of relief and shyly watched as Matthew sat down beside her. He clicked his tongue and snapped the reins a bit, causing the horse to move.

Michaela watched the wagon drive away, swallowing happy tears. Sully's hand moved around her waist and he whispered, "What was that all about at the café? I thought that she shouldn't have to move that much just yet."

"Oh, Sully," whispered Michaela, one tear rolling down her cheek. "Who could take a better care of Atlantis than Matthew?" She looked at her husband and he smiled lovingly, kissing her gently.

~*~

It all looked like a dream, too good to be true. Even though it was the end of October, the day was sunny and not too cold. Listening to her son's chattering and Matthew's voice as he patiently answered millions of questions that the little boy asked him, Atlantis allowed herself to finally relax - after so many years. She leaned in her seat, closing her eyes, feeling the fresh breeze on her face. Could life really be so simple and beautiful like it was now?

She was taken back from her thoughts by the laughter beside her and opening her eyes, she saw that Matthew was holding her son on his lap, allowing him to hold the reins together with him. The child was delighted as he directed the horse down the road that led toward the homestead.

"That's good, just hold them tight and don't slap them too hard, all right?" Matthew looked down at the child and the little boy happily nodded, fully concentrated on the task that was given to him.

It was then when Matthew looked at his left side and asked, "You all right? We can stop a bit if you're in pain." His voice was concerned.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," whispered Atlantis. Matthew nodded, but couldn't look away from her. She felt the blood coming up to her cheeks full force from his intense stare and she quickly glanced at her son. Smiling at her child's squealing and giggling, she said, "You sure got a way with him, he can't stop talking about you." The words were out before Atlantis even realized what she had just said. Upon hearing her voice, she felt her breath caught in her throat. _If only being so close to him wouldn't make me so nervous, perhaps my tongue would stay put,_ she cursed herself for being so bold.

"He's a good kid, Atlantis," was Matthew's reply and she felt her eyes stopping on his face once again. That was when little Matthew's voice was heard as he happily exclaimed, "Look, Mummy! I can do it! Horse listens to me!"

Atlantis smiled through happy tears and lovingly caressed her son's brown hair. Matthew couldn't help but smile too as he watched the pure happiness shining on Atlantis and the little boy's face; it was all that they deserved – to be happy.

The horse relaxed a bit as he turned left and Atlantis looked up only to have her breath taken away by the sight in front of her. They arrived at the homestead.

Matthew helped the child to stop the horse and jumped down from the wagon. Turning back, he pulled the little boy in his arms and took him down from the wagon. The child immediately ran toward the chicken coop and barn to greet his animal friends that he met few days ago.

Atlantis watched as her child ran around the chicken coop and then inside the barn, laughing all the way. It was so unbelievable to her to see him happy like this. How could she ever take him away from here?

Inhaling a sharp breath, she swallowed hard. It would be hard but she had to do it. She didn't want to see anybody getting hurt, especially not Matthew. He deserved happiness and a new life, he deserved to have a peaceful, happy life without having to glance over his shoulders – and that was something she wasn't able to give him, no matter how hard she wanted.

"Atlantis?"

The sound of his voice reached her heart through the veil of her dark thoughts and she looked at him. She slowly got up and placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself before she started to get down. His hands rested on her waist, and he put her down safely, she barely even noticed the pain as she stepped onto the ground. Unable to stop her tears, she saw the questioning look on his face and mumbled through tears, "It's just…" She swallowed hard. "He's so happy here. I never gave him that."

Matthew watched as she broke down in tears and tried to get away from him. But he held her back by not taking his hands off her waist. Instead, his arms encircled her in a hug and he leaned her face on his shoulder, allowing her to cry it all out. He knew that she needed that. Like him, she'd swallowed too many tears and too much pain over the years – and he wanted to let her know that he'd be there for her whenever she needed him.

"Ssssshhh, it wasn't your fault," he whispered to her, but Atlantis shook her head. Pulling her face away from his shoulder, she mumbled, "No, Matthew. I should have tried harder."

"Why don't you tell me everything and let me help you?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"I can't drag you into all that mess,"she mumbled. As more laughter was heard from the barn, Atlantis took in a shivering breath. Matthew noticed that and slowly, he said, "Maybe it's time that you include the law into all that."

"I could never afford that; Heart owns all the money. I couldn't pay for the lawyer…" Atlantis sighed. She wanted to take that step so many times, but knew that she couldn't.

"You don't have to." At these of Matthew's words, she looked at him totally stunned, "Matthew, there is no lawyer on this world who would take a case for free," she tried to reason with him.

"I would," Matthew declared firmly.

"What? But, you aren't…" Atlantis tried to say something but Matthew interrupted her.

"That's probably one thing my sister didn't tell you. I studied law in Denver, and I am working as a lawyer for already one year and a half," he talked seriously and his heart jumped as he saw a sparkle of hope shining in Atlantis' beautiful brown eyes. "Let me help you, please."

"Matthew, no; I couldn't ask it from you to defend me for free," Atlantis tried to protest, but Matthew didn't want to give her that chance. "You aren't. I am offering that to you. This little boy and you deserve to be free and live happily, without fearing the next day, Atlantis. Tell me what happened to you and your son. Let me help you, Atlantis, please. Please, give your son and yourself a chance for a new life," he pleaded with her, never looking away from her eyes. "Please. Let me be your lawyer."

Swallowing the sobs that were choking her, Atlantis mumbled, "Oh, Matthew." As tears rolled down her cheeks, she nodded.

Letting out a breath of relief, Matthew smiled, "All right. Come on, let's go inside and you can tell me everything."

"What about your job?" she asked. "I don't want to hold you back."

"Job can wait. There's nothing more important than this." As he said those words she forgot all the thoughts about leaving Colorado that she had a few minutes ago. "Come on," he said as he put his hand around her waist to help her walking. "Let's so inside."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

It was somewhere around 8 p.m. and Atlantis was tucking her son in the bed, silently singing a lullaby. The little boy was running around the homestead the whole day, making it impossible for Matthew and his Ma to talk.

Matthew was making some tea in the main room, remembering the day that was slowly fading away. As the sound of Atlantis' soft voice as she put her son to sleep reached his ears, Matthew remembered one particular scene that was saved deep in his heart. Little Matthew asked him to teach him how to ride a horse. Of course, he was more than willing to do so. Assuming that his Mummy will protest at first – like she actually did – the little boy whispered confidentially to Matthew _She can't say no when both of us ask! _Matthew smiled even now when he remembered those words. The boy was right, though. Matthew took in Atlantis' facial expression as he asked her to let him teach her son how to ride a horse. Her eyes filled with tears and she didn't say anything, just nodded and quickly disappeared inside the house. It was only later, when the little one was catching up on lessons and started to giggle in joy that she stepped out on the porch, watching them. At first, Matthew didn't notice her as he was preoccupied with watching out that the horse didn't get spooked. The child's giggles found a way into his heart and he couldn't help but laugh. Everything that happened to him the last few years caused him to close his heart, to not get attached to people. Too many people left him; some of them never wanted to, but life had different plans. His Mum and Ingrid, they were among those people.

And then there were other people, such as his biological Father. Matthew stopped referring to Ethan as a father a long time ago. He was like a stranger to him, a stranger that he never wanted to get to know better again. Too many tears had been spilled on his pillow in his childhood because of that man. Nobody knew about the pain Ethan had caused him. Matthew never talked about his feelings; he swallowed all tears.

And then there was Emma. She just left. He never said it out loud, but subconsciously, during the first year after she left, Matthew silently wished that she had come back…or at least send a letter to him.

But, it never happened.

Whenever he got too close to people, he would end up disappointed. That's why he was sometimes distant from his own family…And he assured himself that it was for the best. He will live alone and stay alone for the rest of his days. Due to everything that he went through, he thought that was the best decision. That way nobody would get hurt.

But, it all changed when his little sister Katie was born. He couldn't push that adorable baby away. Since the first moment he took that precious little baby in his arms, Matthew felt that something broke inside of him. Very soon, he became Katie's favorite person in the whole wide world. Very often, he looked after her while Dr. Mike and Sully had to work and those were the moments that he treasured dearly. Katie never got tired, she was always full of energy and every new day was a new adventure for her. She and Matthew would play at the homestead one day, cook their own special meal the next day and go for a swim the third day.

And every time when Katie had to go home, Matthew felt a terrible emptiness in his house…and in his soul.

And today…today was something different. Today it felt like the puzzle of his life was complete; it felt like the final pieces finally fell into the right place. Today, he enjoyed teaching little Matthew how to ride and how to brush a horse, how to feed him…Listening to the little boy's happy squealing as a horse took food from his hand, Matthew felt like the wall around his heart cracked a bit.

And it was then when his eyes stopped at the porch of his house. Atlantis stood there and just watched two of them…not saying a thing, not moving at all…

The sight of her took his breath away. Her long brown hair gently hugged her shoulders and upper arms, soft curls lifted up by a gentle breeze that sang around the homestead. Her eyes were resting on his face and as the minutes passed by, they filled with tears, causing her left palm to slightly cover her lips. He saw as she looked down at her feet and, taking a shivering breath, she sat down at the bench on the porch. And even though Matthew looked away from her and went back to the little boy and the riding lessons, he could still feel her eyes on him.

About an hour later, he looked back at the porch, only to notice that she wasn't sitting on the bench anymore. And just as he thought how sad and empty the house looked without her now and went toward the chicken coop with little Matthew in his arms, Atlantis stepped outside, wiping her hands with a kitchen towel. She looked toward the chicken coop and simply called out to them "Supper is ready."

At hearing those words, Matthew held his breath.

Wasn't this what he always wanted? To come back home from his job, to a house full of kids…and to a wife who waited for him with a gentle smile, and then to sit at the table to eat the supper as they recalled the past day…

And as little Matthew chatted about how he enjoyed his day, Matthew couldn't help but to ask himself…

**Was it possible to have all that after everything that happened?**

"_Go wash your hands, young man, you look like a little pig," Atlantis teased her son and the little boy ran toward the sink, giggling. Atlantis turned her head to look at Matthew, "I hope you don't mind that I made us a supper."_

"_Of course not," replied Matthew, not being able to look away from her brown eyes. "But, you shouldn't have to bother, you should take it easy. I could have fixed us something to eat."_

"_Oh, it really wasn't a bother at all!" Atlantis smiled nervously. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel uncomfortable. She looked at her feet, cursing herself and thinking that she overreacted with a supper._

_Noticing her discomfort, Matthew took off his hat and went toward the stove._

"_Smells good," she heard his voice and flinched. Turning around, she saw him leading her son to the table and helping him to sit._

_Once again, she felt the tears burning in the back of her eyes as she watched how caring Matthew was with her son…_

Pulling the curtain that separated the rooms, Atlantis tiptoed from where her son slept and went toward the table.

"Is he sleeping?" asked Matthew, looking up at her.

"Totally out," Atlantis softly smiled.

"Good," smiled Matthew. Noticing a pain flickering across Atlantis' face, he quickly got up. "Here, let me help you," gently, his hands touched her right shoulder and her waist, helping her to sit down.

She closed her eyes, breathing heavily; her ribs still sore. "You all right?" upon hearing Matthew's concerned voice, Atlantis opened her eyes and tried to smile. "Yeah. It was just an exciting day."

Her eyes rested on his face as he still stood there, beside her, his palm still on her shoulder.

"I made some willow bark tea for you, it should help you," he said, quickly busying himself with a cup on the table.

As his hand put a cup on the table in front of her, Atlantis stared at it, absently shaking her head.

"Atlantis?" Matthew called her name silently.

She blinked fast and shivered at this simple gesture from him, the concern in his voice…these few days had been too much for her to handle.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she silently mumbled, causing Matthew to crease his eyebrows.

"What?!," he softly asked, confusion and disbelief taking over him.

"Heart is right. I don't deserve more than I already have," her voice was barely audible.

"Atlantis, Atlantis, no. Atlantis, listen to me," Matthew said as he sat down beside her and took her hands gently in his palms. "I'm not going to let you believe that, Atlantis. Nobody deserves to go through such a hell like you did. Hey, look at me," he insisted as she turned her head away from him. "Atlantis…remember when I told you how special you are?" at those words, Atlantis looked back at him, tears rolling down her cheeks. He cupped her face with his palms; gently wiping her tears. "I still think that." As she shivered, Matthew moved his chair toward hers and pulled her into his embrace.

That was when Atlantis broke down in tears. As he felt her hiding her face into his chest, Matthew gently caressed her hair "That's it. Let it all out," as her sobs increased, he whispered, "I'm here, Atlantis. I'm here. Everything will be all right. You're safe now."

It was like a dream. A dream that she had so often; him holding her in his arms and telling her that everything will be all right.

"I didn't have a choice, Matthew," he heard her voice, shattered with tears, "I didn't have a choice."

"Tell me," he whispered, still holding her close to him.

"She gave me no choice. When we left Colorado, Heart and I joined another circus, although she said that she would give me a normal life. There was this man, the owner of the circus. I don't know for what, but Heart owed him lots of money. One evening she came to me, completely tearful and broken down, begging me to help her. I didn't know how, I didn't have the smallest bit of the money she owed to him. But, she told me that they had come to an arrangement and he told her that she could pay her debt by giving me to him…I had to marry him, I didn't have a choice," sobs broke Atlantis' voice and Matthew gently rocked her in his arms, not believing what he heard. "I thought that it would be only for a short time, I tried to fool myself that I could love him. He was nice at first and I thought that maybe it wasn't that bad. But, when I got pregnant, he went crazy. I was in my third month when he hit me for the first time," cold shivers ran up and down her spine and Atlantis sobbed, hiding her face into Matthew's chest once again.

"Ssssshhhhh," he tried to soothe her, feeling anger washing over him. _How could a man hit a woman that was carrying his child?!_

"I didn't want to go for an abortion and when I told him that, all hell broke loose. He kicked me almost every day; he drank more and more. I prayed to God that my baby would survive, it was the only person I could hold on to."

"Where was Heart during all that?" Matthew hated to interrupt her when she finally opened to him, but he had to know. Now he was even more sure that Heart had her fingers in all this.

"She never did anything big to stop that. Sure she tried to defend me when he tried to hit me, but it was only after the birth that she did something to really help. I begged her every day to help me leave him, but it wasn't until he tried to hit my son that she listened to me. But, no matter where we went, he always found us. I don't know how, but he always did." Saying that, Atlantis coughed, grabbing for Matthew's arm, her cough growing stronger and stronger.

Matthew snapped from his trance and quickly took a cup from the table "Try to drink a bit," he whispered, holding a cup in front of Atlantis' lips. She shivered in his arms and he rubbed his hand across her arms. "You should lay down," and without even waiting for her reply, he gently picked her up in his arms and got up from his chair. His eyes caught hers and he heard her whisper, "Please…Don't let me go."

"I won't," he replied, softly, but determined. "We will fight this together, Atlantis, and I promise you that I will get you and Matthew out of all that, but you have to tell me everything," as he spoke, her eyes filled with new tears and she nodded. He tried to smile in order to calm her down.

"I will," she whispered.

"Good. But, enough for tonight. You need to rest," as those words left his mouth, Atlantis leaned her face on his shoulder and Matthew slowly leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead as he carried her toward the bed.

He gently laid her down on the sheets and after making sure that she was covered well, he whispered, "Sleep now. I'm here. I won't let anybody to hurt you and your son again," his fingers caressed her hair as his other hand held her palm. Squeezing his palm a bit stronger, Atlantis closed her eyes and very soon, sleep came over her senses…

When he was sure that she was asleep, Matthew slowly got up from the bed and went toward his bookshelf. Rubbing his face and taking a deep breath, he took one of his law books from the shelf and went toward the table. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he opened the book and started to read.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

A rooster's song welcomed the sun as it started to rise behind Pikes Peak, warming the trees with its beams on this chilly winter morning.

Taking in a deep breath, Atlantis rubbed her right eye and slowly blinking, she opened her eyes, not knowing where she was right away. It was so warm and nice that she didn't want to get up and find out that it was only a dream and would instead once again wake up slumped against the wall, her whole body aching from the kicking.

But, the more she woke up, the more her mind cleared, the more she realized that she was safe.

She swallowed, grimacing the next second at the soreness of her throat. _I need some water_, she thought, getting up.

As her feet touched the floor, she ran her right hand through her long brown hair as she looked for the slippers. She found them next to the bed, and it was then that she noticed a pitcher on the nightstand, with a cup beside it. It was there, already prepared for her.

"Oh, Matthew," she whispered as the tears started to rise. Letting out a breath, she turned around to look where he was… and then she saw him.

Matthew was fast asleep sitting on the chair at his desk, books scattered all around the table. Creasing her eyebrows, Atlantis slowly approcahed the table and glanced at the books he had obviously been reading the whole night.

"Violence in the Family" she silently read in one of his books. Her eyes stopped at the handwritten papers. Slowly taking one of it, Atlantis read about several cases where women and children had been physically abused and how the Court punished the abusive men.

The tears in her eyes became heavy, and she let them freely run down her cheeks, putting the paper and the glass of water onto the table. Her hand brushed gently over Matthew's palm, and she bit her lower lip to stop her sobs. He hadn't slept at all; he had been trying all night to find a way to help her. She took in his face, his peaceful features in his sleep, and she was sure that it was the most beautiful sight she had ever laid her eyes on.

"Matthew," she softly called his name, her hand gently squeezing his shoulder. "Matthew, come on. You should get some sleep."

Through the veil of dreams, Matthew heard a soft female voice calling his name and felt a light touch of her hand on his shoulder. Blinking slowly, his eyes fluttered open and the warmth flew through his veins as he saw her.

"Matthew, come on, you'll catch a cold like this," Atlantis gently pressed, but Matthew didn't feel the chillness of the room as his eyes got lost in her big brown eyes. She was like a dream, so beautiful in the early morning, her face still wearing a shade of sleep, and he wondered how it would be like to see these beautiful eyes first thing every morning.

"Come on," she held out her hand to him and he accepted it, slowly straightening in his chair before he got up. She was so close to him that he could feel the scent of her chamomile shampoo, and he couldn't look away from her eyes.

Atlantis felt her heart skip a beat at the intense look of Matthew's blue eyes. He didn't say a word to her, just stared at her face, his hand not letting go of her hand. She felt her lips getting dry despite the glass of water she just had. He was so close to her that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body and she couldn't move…

"I should get ready to go back," she whispered, her voice shivering.

His fingers held her hand more tightly and she inhaled a sharp breath to chase away the butterflies in her stomach as she heard him whisper, "Why don't you stay?"

Time stood still when she felt his breath warming her face as he leaned his head down and placed a soft kiss under her left eye onto the still visible bruise. It caused her to let out a shivering breath, instinctively laying her right hand on the left side of his chest, feeling his heartbeat. Her eyes never left his eyes as she whispered his name. It felt like music to his ears and he placed his palm over her palm on his chest, inching even closer to her face. Atlantis felt her breath getting caught in her throat as Matthew closed the small distance between them, kissing her lips gently for the first time. A soft moan escaped from her lungs at the touch of his lips on hers, and she closed her eyes. Their fingers intertwined on his chest, and Atlantis moved her other hand to touch his palm. It was Matthew's undoing and he released her palm only to wrap his arms around her waist, feeling her hands travelling up his chest and hugging him around his shoulders. Careful not to hurt her, he slowly deepened their kiss, pulling her closer into his arms, making her for once in her life feel like she was the luckiest woman alive.

"Mummy?" a little, quiet voice came from the other room, causing Atlantis and Matthew to rapidly break the kiss. Breathing hard, Atlantis opened her eyes and looked up at the man she loved with all her heart, her palm touching his chest again. The smile that showed on his face mirrored hers.

"I should check on him," she breathed and Matthew nodded, not being able to say a word. With the fingers of her other hand, she softly caressed the lips that kissed her few seconds ago and her heart quickened as Matthew kissed her fingers and whispered, "Go on, I'll make us some breakfast."

Not being able to utter one word, Atlantis nodded and went toward the curtain that separated the rooms to get her son.

~*~

"Good morning, Dr. Mike, how is my daughter doing today?" Heart's voice startled Michaela as she claned her instruments at the clinic.

"She's…fine," replied Michaela, not looking at Heart.

"Oh, good, I'll go to see her," smiled Heart. She already reached the door that led to the recovery rooms when Michalea stopped her by saying, "She's not here, Heart."

Frowning, Heart turned to look at the doctor.

"What?" she asked, not quite believing what she heard.

Michaela watched the woman that stood in front of her, contemplating what to say, Atlantis words echoing in her ears, _"Please, don't tell my mother where we are."_

"She went for a walk," Michaela curtly said, cleaning the instrument in her hands with all her concentration.

"For a walk?" Heart frowned even more. "But, is she…"

"A walk would do her some good," Michaela was short on words.

"But what if she gets sick, what if she falls? How could you let her go by herself?" hissed Heart. This wasn't fitting in her plans.

"She's not alone, Colleen went with her," Michaela swallowed hard.

"Oh," Heart looked away from the doctor. "Oh, I guess it's all right then. I'll be back later to check on her. Have a good day, Dr. Mike."

Michaela just nodded, and as the door slammed shut behind Heart, she let out a breath.

Heart walked down the street, trying to calm down. _It's all right. She just went for a walk with that silly girl. Nothing can happen. _

"Morning, Miss Heart. Wanna have breakfast with us?" Katie's voice brought the red-haired woman out of her trance. She looked up from her feet, seeing Dr. Mike's three children in front of her: Katie, Brian and… Colleen!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Trying to calm her racing heart, Atlantis pushed the curtain closed and walked up toward the bed where her son sat, rubbing his left eye.

"Hey, my darling," she gently greeted him, sitting onto the edge of the bed. The child rushed to her embrace immediately. Hugging her son back, Atlantis kissed his soft brown hair and asked, "Did you have a good sleep?"

Feeling the little boy nodding his head, she placed another kiss on his hair and got up, carrying him in her arms.

"How about we get you dressed and eat some breakfast?" she looked at her child and the little boy grinned. Atlantis placed him back on the bed and took his pajama off, the little boy squirming all the time.

"Oh, I know how to stop that!" chuckled Atlantis and kissed her son's little tummy a few times, causing him to shriek with laughter, "Mummy, that tickles!!"

"Will you stay put so I can dress you?"Atlantis put on her serious face, barely holding back her smile.

"I will, I will," giggled little Matthew. As his Mum kissed his stomach again, the child laughed, "I will, I promise!"

He watched with a huge grin how his Mum put on his trousers and socks, and then squirmed again, giggling.

"Oh, you're so finished now!" laughed Atlantis, scooping her little son up in her arms, turning him upside down and tickling his tummy. Giggles erupted from the little boy and he yelled through laughter, "MATHHEW, HELP ME!!"

"What's going on in here?" Matthew's voice was heard. He leaned on the wall, his face shining with a smile as he watched the scene between mother and son.

"Oh, nothing special, he's just trying to spend the whole day in his pajama, so I have to punish him for that," Atlantis stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I see," Matthew tilted his head to the left side, as if trying to look little Matthew in the eyes because the child was still upside down. "You know, if you disobey your Mum like that, I reckon that you will spend the whole day walking on your head, buddy."

"Noooo!" giggled little Matthew.

"I think that Dr. Mike would agree with me that being upside down for a day is quite healthy, don't you think so?" Atlantis looked at Matthew, still holding her son in the same position.

"Yeah, definitely," Matthew nodded. "It sure helps to get brain cells in order."

"You mean he will become smarter?" Atlantis showed with her head to her son.

"Definitely. I think that you should hold him this way the whole day," replied Matthew, barely holding back his laughter.

"Nooooo, put me down!" little Matthew shrieked with laughter.

Both Atlantis and Matthew laughed and Atlantis turned her little son into the normal position. The child shook his head as if trying to adjust to watching the world from the right perspective and giggling, he hugged his Mum tightly, leaning his face on her shoulder. Atlantis gently kissed his cheek and sat him down on the bed. She took a shirt and said, "Okay, first left hand, young man. That's it. Now the right hand. All right. Now, let's see if I can find that silly head of yours inside that shirt," she pretended that she couldn't find the head and little Matthew yelled through giggles, "Mummy, I'm here!"

"Hang on, let me try to find him," Matthew sat down on the bed as well and after few "unsuccessful" tries, the little boy's head was out from the shirt. The child breathed out in relief and looked at Matthew, "Thanks, Matthew."

"Okay, that's settled; why don't we go and get some breakfast, how's that?," asked Matthew, smiling warmly at the little boy. The child nodded and the three of them went to the main room.

~*~

At first, Heart was speechless as she stared at the children. Bewildered, she looked behind her at the clinic, then back to children, a shadow clouding her face.

"Miss Heart?" Colleen called her, confused. Heart glared at the young woman and without a word, she stormed toward the clinic, right in the moment when Michaela was leaving the building.

"How dare you lie to me! I wanna know where my daughter is right now!" yelled Heart while she was still walking down the street.

Michaela looked up and saw Heart storming toward her. Catching a glimpse of her three kids, Michaela silently gasped as she saw Colleen. Trying to compose herself, she locked the clinic and stepped down from the porch to meet Heart, praying that she could get out of this without revealing Atlantis' whereabouts.

"I didn't lie, Heart, she indeed went for a walk and she told me that Colleen will accompany her."

As Heart turned toward Colleen, the young woman caught the pleading look from her Mum and nodded, trying to pick up the right words. "That's right. We walked for a while and then she said that she wanted to go by herself," Colleen said, trying to hide her discomfort with a big smile.

"Where did she go?" hissed Heart.

"Uh…oh… just for a short walk in the woods behind the church. She should be back any moment," Colleen swallowed hard.

Heart glared icily at the young woman, then back at Dr. Mike. "She better be." And without one more word she stormed toward the church.

Michaela let out a breath of relief and Colleen stepped closer to her Mother, "What was that all about?"

"I'll tell you everything over breakfast. Let's just hope that Atlantis will come back soon."

~*~

"I don't wanna go," little Matthew whispered as he stared at the ground, kicking it lightly with his shoes.

"We have to go, sweetheart," Atlantis softly replied, buttoning her son's jacket.

"But, I wanna stay with Matthew," mumbled the little boy, blinking his tears away.

Atlantis swallowed hard, glancing through the window and catching a glimpse of Matthew hitching the wagon.

"You can still be friends with Matthew," she sadly smiled, trying to cheer up her son. "Come on, darling. I bet that Katie is missing you," she added, raising her left eyebrow and when she saw a small smile lingering on her son's lips, she caressed his soft cheek and said, "Go on, get in the wagon. I will be there soon."

"Okay," and with those words, little Matthew was gone.

Matthew turned around when he heard the steps and smiled, "Hey, buddy, ready to go?"

As he got only a small nod from the little boy, he kneeled down to be his size and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't wanna go," little Matthew silently said. "I wanna see Katie and Brian and everybody, but I wanna come back."

"Well, who says you can't?" Matthew asked gently.

"My Mummy," whispered the little boy.

Matthew looked at his house, then back at the little boy. "Tell you what. You wait for me here while I go to talk to your Mummy, all right?"

The smile and a hug he got in reply warmed Matthew's heart, and he lifted the child in the wagon. "I won't be long, you just wait here."

"Okay," little Matthew replied, watching as Matthew walked toward the house, his little hands joined in a silent prayer.

Atlantis let out a breath, wiping her eyes to stop the tears. She turned around to catch a glimpse of this peaceful place once again before she had to leave it.

She swallowed hard and angrily wiped at the few tears that stubbornly rolled down her cheeks. It was then when she heard the steps and mumbled, "Matthew, I told you to wait for me in the wagon, Mummy will be right there…"

Her voice got caught in her throat as she turned around and her eyes locked with Matthew's blue eyes.

"You know, you don't have to go," he said as he slowly walked toward her.

"Matthew," her voice was barely audible, but she shook her head. "No, I…"

But, he interrupted her before she could even finish her sentence.

"I meant what I said this morning, Atlantis," he was so close to her now that she was sure that he could hear her heart thumping. As his palm gently rested on the nape of her neck, she felt her blood run faster through her veins at this simple touch. "Why don't you stay?"he silently repeated his question.

A shivering breath escaped Atlantis' mouth as she uttered two words, "Matthew, I…,"

But he didn't allow her to finish this sentence as his lips gently brushed over her lips, barely touching them, making her feel like she was flying. As his hand travelled lower and encircled her waist, she softly moaned, feeling the shivers going up and down her spine.

"Matthew, I can't… I can't drag you into all th…," she tried once again while his lips were still softly brushing over her lips, but her words got lost as he leaned down and kissed her lovingly, passionately, preventing her from finishing that line. Her heart won over her mind, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the next moment how he pulled her closer to him, still being careful not to hurt her. Her hands caressed his shoulders as his lips travelled down her neck, making her mind go blurred. With every touch of his lips on her neck, she felt lighter than ever, like she was floating above the ground. She couldn't believe that this was happening, but the feeling of him under her fingers proved to her that it wasn't a dream. As his lips slowly kissed their way back toward her face, she looked in his eyes, her smile mixing with her tears. As a response to that, he kissed her again, like never before, as if he was trying to show her every piece of his heart and soul, every atom of his love, and she moaned with passion, her whole body aching for his touch.

As their kiss broke, Atlantis leaned her forehead on Matthew's, breathing heavily, her fingers still lost in his hair.

"I love you, Atlantis."

Her eyes were set on his lips as he spoke those words she longed to hear and still she couldn't believe that she heard correctly. Surprise shone brightly in her eyes as she looked up at his blue eyes, her breathing quickening. "What?" she breathed.

Matthew saw the surprise and confusion in those big brown eyes he adored, but he knew that he'd never been so sure of anything he said in his entire life. His eyes smiled even more than his lips as he silently repeated, "I don't want you to go. Ever. I love you. I thought that I would never dare to love again, but you and your son found a way into my heart. I love you, Atlantis. You smashed the wall around my heart in tiny pieces. You brought me back to life." As his hand gently caressed her cheek, he fought the tears as he said the next words, "You named your son after me."

Atlantis inched closer, placing the top of her fingers on Matthew's lips as she whispered, "From the moment I held my baby in my arms for the first time, I knew what name I would give him. The name of the only man I ever loved in my life…and I still do."

She looked back at Matthew's eyes and mumbled through tears, "I love you so much!"

Her tears rolled down her cheeks full force as she felt Matthew's lips kissing her fingers and then her lips seconds later. She held onto him for dear life, and when he slowly pulled away from her, she opened her eyes only to hear him saying, "You know…I'm honored to have someone as special as you are to like me."

As she heard those words, reminding her of their talk from a few years ago, she blinked fast, and shedding new tears, hugged him tightly. As his palm caressed her hair, she rested her face on his shoulder, wishing that this moment never ended.

It was few minutes later that she looked toward the door to see her son standing in the doorway, his whole face lit up with a happy smile.

"Does that mean we're staying?" asked the little boy.

Both Atlantis and Matthew smiled and pulling away from Matthew, Atlantis wiped her tears away and replied, "Yes, darling, we're staying."

"HOOOORAAAAAYYYY!" The little boy jumped happily and ran toward them. As Atlantis scooped him up in her arms, the child looked at Matthew and smiling widely, he happily exclaimed, "I knew that you would make it!!"

As both Atlantis and Matthew smiled, little Matthew squirmed his way out of his Mum's arms and jumped into Matthew's embrace, hugging him tightly. With one hand, Matthew hugged the little boy back while his other hand pulled Atlantis into their first hug as a family.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Atlantis leaned in her seat as the horse trotted across the road, her son's chattering with Matthew echoing in her ears. With each new step the horse took, she grew more and more tense. She was scared of coming back to town and facing Heart again. However, she knew that it was something that she needed to do.

Her eyes drifted away to stop on Matthew's face and instantly, she felt at peace. The blood ran up in her cheeks as she remembered his kisses at the homestead and if her lips weren't still burning from the flame of his love, she would think that she was dreaming for sure.

As they turned right and the town showed up in a distance, Atlantis inhaled a deep breath.

And like a response to that, Matthew gently circled her waist with one hand. Still keeping a watchful eye on the road in front of them he whispered, "You're not alone."

She swallowed hard, her shivering palm grabbing his hand as the ice cold sweat ran down her forehead. The fear was consuming her, but she tried to stay focused on Matthew, not to think about what was about to come…

Matthew stopped the horses in front of the clinic and looked around. It was lunch time and everybody was at Grace's. He stepped down from the wagon and smiled as little Matthew rushed to get down as well, impatient to go and find Katie so he could inform her about his day. The moment his little feet touched the ground, he squirmed out of Matthew's hold and rushed toward the café, calling for Katie.

"He sure is eager to see her," smiled Atlantis, her nerves calming down a bit.

She looked at Matthew standing beside the wagon and slowly got up from her seat. He gently held her waist to help her down from the wagon, and as she slid down, her body brushed gently against Matthew's. A shot of electricity ran through her and she could feel her breath coming quicker as her hands rested on Matthew's shoulders. As she looked up at the blue orbs that were looking at her with so much love all her fear disappeared. Her right palm touched his cheek, gentle as a breeze, and she searched for his lips, wanting to feel his love warming her again. As her lips softly touched his lips, Atlantis closed her eyes, getting lost in the moment, allowing herself for few minutes to forget about everything else…

Matthew accepted her kiss, encircling her in his arms, making her feel like he just built the wall around them, protecting her from any harm. She made his heart pump faster with each breath she stole from his lips, and when she tried to pull away, he stopped her by gently pulling her closer and pressing his lips more passionately on hers. She silently moaned as she felt his tongue entering her mouth and her hands hugged him tighter around his shoulders.

A few minutes later, Matthew's lips became gentler until Atlantis felt as if butterflies were touching her lips. Slowly, they kissed more and gentler until they pulled away from each other. Atlantis looked at Matthew's face, breathless by the passion and love that made his eyes a dark blue. No matter how many times he kissed her, she still felt like it was only a dream. It was too good to be true.

Neither one of them said a word. Matthew's hand hugged her around her waist and as her face rested on his shoulder, they headed toward the café.

They were in front of the entrance when Atlantis stopped, "Wait, I forgot Matthew's teddy bear in the wagon. I'll be right back." She placed a gentle peck on Matthew's cheek and turned to go back toward the wagon.

Matthew smiled watching her go and turned around to look for little Matthew in the café.

And at that moment, everything happened faster than it would take an eye to blink.

Gunshots pierced the air and the people in the café got down on the ground, children screaming and crying. Matthew was about to run to get his family out of danger and he opened his mouth to call Atlantis when he heard her terrified scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Spinning around, Matthew managed to only catch a glimpse of a black horse running like the devil itself was chasing him and a rider grabbing Atlantis from the ground.

"ATLANTIS!" Matthew's scream reached the sky and he quickly ran toward the wagon, trying to release the horse from it. "DAMN IT!!," he cursed when his hands couldn't do it.

"Matthew!! Matthew, what happened?" Sully's voice was heard as the tomahawk cut the reins, releasing the horse. Matthew quickly mounted the horse and Sully only heard three words, "He took Atlantis!!" before his son rode fast after the mysterious rider.

"Sully?" Michaela's voice was heard and Sully turned around to look at his wife. She was a wreck of nerves, "That's Atlantis husband. He will hurt her, he did it before."

"I'll go after them," Sully quickly said before he rushed to get his horse from the livery, "Robert E., I need my horse!"

"I'm going with you," Michaela stated firmly.

"Michaela, no. It is far too dangerous," protested Sully.

"She might be hurt!" Michaela protested back.

"Mummy?" All off a sudden, little Matthew's voice was heard, and Michaela and Sully turned around to see Atlantis' son standing a few steps away from them.

Michaela's heart broke at the terrified facial expression the little boy had. Katie was by his side, looking confused and scared.

"Come on, darlings, come with me," Loren quickly came to the rescue, picking up both children in his arms. "Your Mum will be fine. If anyone can save her, it's Matthew." As the little boy buried his face in Loren's shoulder, sobbing loudly, Loren looked at Dr. Mike and Sully, "Hurry!"

As Dr. Mike and Sully got on their horses, Colleen ran toward them, "Ma, Pa… I don't see Heart anywhere!"

Michaela and Sully shared worried looks.

"We'll find them, Colleen," Sully shortly said and without another word, they were gone.

~*~

Matthew slapped the reins, sending his horse into gallop, but still felt like he was moving too slowly. The black horse was far away in front of him, yet he could still hear Atlantis' screams.

"ATLANTIS!!" he called her name, wanting her to know that he was close and that he wouldn't abandon her.

From the distance, she heard his voice and tried to break away from the iron hold her husband had on her. "MATTHEW!" she screamed.

The rider looked down at her, his eyes flashing with anger, "So… It's him. You named that little bastard after him."

Atlantis eyes went wide in fear as she saw the gun shining in front of her eyes, "Say good bye to your Matthew."

"MATTHEW, GET DOWN!" Atlantis screamed, her lungs almost tearing apart, and the cough started to rise up in her throat.

"SHUT UP!" her husband yelled, abruptly stopping the horse and throwing Atlantis on the ground. "I'll finish this right now and then you'll get what you deserve!"

Atlantis tried to get up and run, but just as she was about to do it, a hard kick landed on her face and everything went black. She fell onto the ground, unconscious.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Matthew yelled and before Atlantis' husband could turn around, Matthew jumped from his horse, pushing the man in front of him, causing both of them to fall down. With a few punches, Matthew managed to kick the gun out of the man's hand and just when he was about to get in a fight, a knife's blade shone in front of him. As the man launched himself at him, Matthew bent down and moved to the right, avoiding the sharp blade. He quickly caught the man's hand, bending his arm on his back, causing him to yelp in pain.

"I'll take that knife," grumbled Matthew, getting handcuffs out from his pocket.

And just as the handcuffs clicked, Matthew felt something sharp piercing through his left arm, causing him to moan in pain and shock. Looking down, he saw the blood dripping from his upper arm.

"You got too involved, Mr. Cooper," through the fog, Matthew heard the familiar female's voice and turning around, he noticed Heart standing in front of him with a gun in her hand. His eyes caught a glimpse of Atlantis lying on the ground, not moving. Anger boiled inside of him and he went toward Heart.

"Stay right there, Mister Cooper or I will shoot you right now," Heart gritted her teeth.

"What kind of mother are you?! How can you put your daughter through all this?" Matthew yelled.

"Give me the key, sheriff," Heart held out her other hand. Matthew looked down at her palm and reminded himself to not move too fast. He was the only chance Atlantis got.

"All right, take it easy," he said, picking up his right arm as if he was going to get the key of the handcuffs, his eyes never leaving the gun in Heart's hand.

As his hand reached inside his pocket, a wince was heard from the ground and Atlantis silently mumbled, "Matthew…"

It caught Heart's attention and for a mere second, she looked down at the young woman – and Matthew reacted in a blink of an eye, grabbing her hand and taking the gun away from her. The weapon shot in the process and Matthew felt another shot hitting him, this time under his ribs.

"MATTHEW!" Michaela screamed as she watched in slow motion her oldest son falling on the ground, next to Atlantis.

Sully jumped from his horse, just in time to stop Heart from running away. He grabbed her and the man laying a few steps away and tied them with a rope. Then he whistled for Wolf. As the animal showed up beside him, Sully shortly said, "Go, get some help, boy." Wolf barked and was gone before Sully could even blink.

Atlantis' eyes fluttered open and she gasped seeing Matthew lying beside her, not moving. "Matthew… Matthew, no… Don't leave me, Matthew." Despite the pain she felt she moved toward him, sobs choking her, "No, darling, no, don't leave me. Open your eyes, Matthew."

"Atlantis!" Michaela fell down on her knees beside the young girl.

"Dr. Mike, Matthew first. He's hurt badly," sobbed Atlantis.

Michaela sprung into action. With Sully's help, she turned Matthew on his back and gasped as she noticed the two bullet wounds. Checking them quickly, she mumbled "The bullet went through his arm, but the second one hit him under his ribs and stayed there. I have to get it out, quickly. He's losing a lot of blood."

"You can do it, Michaela," Sully knew that his wife was terrified because it was their son who was in danger, but she needed to stay calm for Matthew's sake. "Remember Chief Black Kettle. You took the bullet out of him in a second. You can do it now as well."

Atlantis lay down beside Matthew, too weak to sit up. She cried more and more with each second that passed while Dr. Mike worked quickly on removing the bullet from Matthew's body.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

It seemed as if the world had stopped and Atlantis felt like she was falling into a bottomless hole. She was too weak to sit up; she tried to ignore the hateful words that came from Heart and her husband as her eyes were focused on Dr. Mike's hands that worked fast. She didn't even hear telling Sully to check on her nor did she feel the coldness of the wet towel on her cheek that still ached from the hard kick. Her whole being, her whole heart was focused on Matthew who lay still beside her as her hand clasped his fingers, and she sobbed.

"This is all my fault, this is all my fault," she mumbled, barely audible, as the horses' approaching was heard. In the next few minutes everything happened as if in a fog; she saw Hank and Jake taking Heart and her husband away, she felt Sully and Loren pick her weak body up in the wagon, covering her with warm blankets. The sky above her moved fast as the horses ran toward town. Her hand never left Matthew's as he lay beside her, only his weak breaths confirming that he was still alive.

Michaela took another blanket and laid it over her son, barely holding back her tears. She had taken the bullet out, but now they had to reach the clinic as soon as possible.

It was then that her eyes caught Atlantis' movement; the young woman pulled the blankets away from herself, and collecting all her strength, she sat up.

"Atlantis, no, you should lay down…," Michaela tried to stop her, but Atlantis shook her head, taking her blanket and placing it over Matthew's body.

"We need to keep him warm, Dr. Mike,"whispered Atlantis. "I'm not important."

"Don't say that," Michaela's heart went out for young woman that sat in front of her.

"If he doesn't make it…,"mumbled Atlantis, sobs choking her. "If he doesn't make it, I don't think that I will be able to live any longer."

As those words left her mouth, Atlantis broke down in tears completely, causing Michaela to reach for her and pull her in a comforting embrace.

"I won't let that happen, Atlantis. It wasn't your fault, calm down, please."

But, Michaela's comforting words fell on deaf ears. Atlantis hid her face in Michaela's shoulder and sobbed loudly.

~*~

All townsfolk rushed toward the approaching horses and the wagon; Colleen and Brian in front of everybody else, while Grace held Katie and little Matthew at the café, trying to distract them from the fuss in the town.

"Oh my God!," gasped Colleen, "MATTHEW!"

Sully quickly got down from the driver's seat and without a word he and Robert E. picked a still unconscious Matthew up from the back of the wagon and ran toward the clinic where Horace already opened the door. Colleen hugged Brian tightly, both of them not being able to stop their tears.

"Ma?" Brian silently called , looking up at her. Michaela carefully helped Atlantis to get down from the wagon. As her feet reached the ground, Atlantis collapsed, losing her consciousness.

"ATLANTIS!" gasped Colleen.

"Loren, Horace, I need your help," Dr. Mike tried to stay calm. Loren and Horace were beside her in a second and gently picked up Atlantis, "Take her to the clinic," Dr. Mike said shortly and rushed into the clinic herself.

~*~

The night started to fall over ColoradoSprings, and its streets were empty as all townsfolk sat at Grace's, waiting for any news about Matthew and Atlantis. By now, Grace had a hard time to keep little Matthew and Katie at one place because the children became anxious. They were aware that something was going on. Loren tried to distract the kids with some toys and candies from his store, but it was only successful for a short period of time.

Suddenly, Sully showed up at the entrance of the café and Katie rushed toward her pa, launching herself in his arms, hugging him tightly, searching for comfort. Sully took a seat beside Colleen and Brian while he gently caressed Katie's soft hair.

Little Matthew watched the scene and the people in front of him without uttering a word. His little heart started to thump faster and for some reason, fear started to rise inside of him.

"Matthew," Grace's gentle voice was heard as she kneeled beside him. She'd felt the little boy's tensing up ever since Katie ran toward Sully. Tears in the child's eyes broke Grace's heart and she tried to soothe him, "Hey, little one, it's all right. Everything will be all right."

"I want my Mummy," little Matthew mumbled quietly, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh, sweetheart!" Grace hugged him, and as the child clung to her, she whispered, "You'll see your Mummy soon. Calm down, sunshine, calm down."

~*~

"Dr. Mike! Dr. Mike, he's waking up!" exclaimed Myra, and Michaela rushed toward the bed.

"Matthew," Michaela leaned down, gently caressing her oldest son's hair. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hold back a few tears escaping her eyes as Matthew's eyelids fluttered open. "Matthew, can you hear me?"

"Dr. Mike?"Matthew's voice was barely audible.

"I'm here, Matthew," Michaela smiled.

"Wh…what happened?" mumbled Matthew.

"You were shot." Michaela swallowed hard. Matthew stared back at her, confused. Then it hit him. His eyes went wide open and he gasped "Atlantis!"

He tried to get up, but the sharp pain pushed him back down on the bed and he yelped.

"Don't try to move, Matthew, please," Michaela panicked as she saw the pain flickering over her son's face.

"Ma…" It wasn't so often that he called her Ma, and Michaela felt her eyes filling with tears again.

"She's fine, Matthew, Atlantis is fine," Michaela tried to soothe him.

But, that wasn't enough. "I wanna see her," he whispered.

Michalea already opened her mouth to protest, but she couldn't do it. Her son's eyes were pleading with her and so she nodded, "All right, I'll see what I can do. I ordered her to rest, but if she is awake, I'll see how I can get her here."

Quickly, Michaela got up from the bed and nodded to Myra. Both women left the room, but just as they closed the door, Michaela gasped, "Atlantis!"

She rushed to the young woman that slowly walked toward her, supporting herself on the wall.

"What are you doing? I told you to stay in bed," Michaela reached the young woman and Atlantis stopped, closing her eyes and taking few deep breaths before she looked at a doctor standing in front of her and shook her head. Michaela was about to say something else, but Atlantis continued to walk toward the recovery room. "I'm sorry, Dr. Mike. I have to see him."

Michaela watched the young woman slowly reaching her goal. Atlantis' shivering fingers pressed the doorknob, and she opened the door.

Her eyes stopped at the sight in front of her and she couldn't hold back the tears that rushed down her cheeks as she saw Matthew looking at her. Her feet tried to move faster as she searched for something to lean on: the wall, a chair, so she wouldn't collapse before she reached the bed. Finally, she was able to get a hold of his outstretched hand and she surrendered to weakness, allowing herself to slump down on the bed beside him not saying a word as the tears choked her.

Matthew closed his eyes as his good hand gently caressed Atlantis' long, silky hair. Placing a gentle kiss above her eye, he whispered, "I'm okay, love. Don't cry, please. I'm okay."

"Matthew…,"Atlantis mumbled. "Matthew…,"

Tears made her break down, and she couldn't utter another word.

"Sssssshhhh, it's all over now. It's all over." Carefully shifting in the bed so he didn't hurt his wounds, Matthew gently pulled Atlantis in his embrace, "Come here."

As she rested in the safety of his hug, his lips kissed her eyes that were wet from the tears and Atlantis looked up at him, her lips meeting Matthew's in a long, loving kiss. Nothing else mattered.


	18. Chapter 18

**I was very sick and that's the reason for this late update, sorry that you had to wait for it so long. **

**Chapter 18**

Atlantis slowly pulled away from Matthew's lips and her eyes drifted away to the invisible spots on the pillow as the tears glittered on her eyelashes. She swallowed the sobs, yet couldn't stop the warm tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, don't cry. I'm okay, Atlantis", Matthew tried to calm her down, but his words weren't getting through to her.

"I've put you through this", she mumbled.

"Atlantis, no…" Matthew tried to stop the train of her words, but she shook her head.

"You would never have been hurt if I wasn't here."

"Atlantis, listen to me…"

"I'll just destroy your life, this was all wrong, I can't…" she rambled on and on, but the gentle squeeze of Matthew's good arm on her upper arm caused her voice to drift away and she heard his words.

"Will you stop it?" His voice was full of pain. As he didn't get a reply from her, Matthew said, "Look at me."

As her eyes remained on the pillow, he desperately tried once again, "Atlantis, look at me!"

As her brown eyes met his gaze, Matthew used his good hand to wipe the tears away from her cheeks and softly said, "I love you."

As those words left his mouth, he noticed how more and more tears collected in Atlantis' eyes, her chin started to shiver as she fought with all her strength not to cry. "You brought me back to life, Atlantis. I would be hurt if you weren't here, sweetheart. This was NOT your fault, Atlantis, do you hear me? This was NOT your fault. I will help you to get out from that hell. This was the hardest step, but now there will be no problem to keep them away from you."

"I'm scared, Matthew," Atlantis whispered through tears. "I almost lost you. If you didn't make it, I…I… I don't think that I would survive."

"Oh, Atlantis, honey…" Matthew caressed her cheek. "I'm all right. This all will be in the past once. And when all that is over, I just want to have you and Matthew in my life. Forever. Cause you're my life now."

That was it for Atlantis. She smiled through her tears and gently wiped the sweat from Matthew's forehead as her lips kissed him lovingly, showing him without a word how much she loved him.

~*~

Atlantis lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was back in her recovery room because Dr. Mike and Colleen had to change Matthew's bandages and check on his wounds, but she couldn't go back to sleep.

Sully was here a few minutes ago, bringing her son back, and the encounter was heartbreaking as the little boy clutched to his mom, terrified to the bone. Even though he hadn't seen what actually happened, little Matthew knew that his mommy always got a bruised face after having a fight with his father. That meant only one thing; His father was back and that was what scared him. It took Atlantis hours to try to calm down her darling child, but the little one slept soundly in her arms now. She, however, couldn't welcome the sleep.

Her head was aching from thinking of what happened. Thank God Dr. Mike was around, otherwise Atlantis wouldn't know what to do. She would have taken both bullets instead of Matthew, but destiny doesn't allow you to choose, ever. Hours ago, when she and Matthew were talking, even though he tried to be strong for her, she could see that he was in pain. Dr. Mike and Colleen had quite some trouble to talk her out of staying with them and help them to take care of Matthew. Dr. Mike insisted that she get some rest and promised that she would come to tell her if there were any changes in Matthew's condition. It was Colleen who practically dragged her back to her room after Matthew fell into a restless sleep, fever taking over. Atlantis was crashed because they didn't allow her to stay, but she tried to stay strong and brave for her son that Sully brought back just that minute.

Now she was lying in her bed, her eyes blinking tears away.

"Please, God, let him be all right. He suffered enough. Give me all his pain, let him be all right. Please, don't take him away from me."

~*~

Colleen squeezed the water out of the sponge and gently rubbed it over her older brother's forehead and cheeks that were bathed in sweat. She was trying hard not to cry loudly. Being a doctor meant to treat every person the same, but this was her brother she always looked up to. She felt like she was failing him with each minute that passed in fever for Matthew.

She was so happy for him the last couple of days. He was coming back to life. Watching him with Atlantis and little Matthew warmed Colleen's heart, and she prayed to God to let her brother and her friend find happiness again.

Even before Emma entered Matthew's life, Colleen was thinking about how it would be if Atlantis came back. She remembered quite well the first time they met and still felt a bit guilty that she didn't tell Atlantis about Ingrid back then when it was more than obvious that her friend had feelings for Matthew. It would have stopped Atlantis from getting hurt.

But all of a sudden Atlantis was back – and Colleen was the first one who noticed a change in Matthew's behavior. He wasn't in a dark mood all the time, he took some days off, didn't bury himself in the job like he used to… And she was thrilled to see that. She loved her brother so much and wished with all her heart that he find happiness again.

Her eyes were red from crying as she caressed Matthew's dark blond hair and whispered, "You fight there, Matthew, do you hear me? I wanna see you happy again. I wanna see you getting married, having children and I am warning you, Matthew Cooper," by now, sobs controlled her voice, "I wanna spoil rotten my nephews and nieces, so don't you dare to let me down now, do you hear me?"

The door opened and Dr. Mike entered the room, carrying some medicine. Colleen quickly wiped her tears away, but Michaela saw it.

She came toward her daughter and softly rubbed her back. "He'll be fine, Colleen," whispered Dr. Mike as the tears flew down her cheeks.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks to Linda for beta reading this chapter as Kruemi is away.**

**Chapter 19**

The sun shone through the curtains of the recovery room causing Atlantis to squeeze her eyes painfully as the bruises on her face were too sensitive for the sunlight.

The voices from the hallway caught her attention and she smiled hearing her son's and Katie's giggling and Colleen's obviously unsuccessful attempt at keeping the children in one place.

Slowly, Atlantis pushed the blankets from her and looked for her slippers on the floor. Finding them, she took a big breath before standing to her feet. Her legs still felt like they were made of jelly, but that didn't stop her from taking few steps forward and opening the door, eager to learn how was Matthew doing.

Colleen looked up at the sound of door opening, still smiling about little Matthew and Katie's running around the waiting room.

"Atlantis," she quickly reached toward her friend. "How do you feel this morning?"

"Much better, thank you," Atlantis quickly avoided the truth, hugging her little son who just ran toward her for a good morning hug, and skipped to what she really wanted to know. "How's Matthew?"

"Oh, he's just fine. His fever broke late in the night and he's asleep now," Colleen's smile got even wider and Atlantis let out breath of relief. Closing her eyes, she sent a silent prayer of thanks to God for helping Matthew.

"Can I see him?" Atlantis asked.

"Sure," was Colleen's reply accompanied with a warm smile. "Tell you what; why don't you go over to his room while I get you some food from Grace's? You think that you can lie about your health to your friend who's above all a doctor?" Colleen fussed, pretending to be serious and angry. Atlantis let out a sigh and pressed her lips tightly together.

"No. But I could try," she tried to make a joke and Colleen's face lightened up with a smile again and the friends hugged.

"I won't be long. I'll take the kids as well so you can have some time alone with Matthew."

Atlantis nodded thankfully and watched as Katie and little Matthew each took one of Colleen's hands and trotted down the stairs, chattering all the way.

Eagerly, Atlantis reached Matthew's room as fast as she could and opened the doors.

Her eyes took in the sight in front of her; Matthew was fast asleep, the only sound that disturbed his breathing was the tick of the clock on the wall. Careful not to wake him up, Atlantis pulled a chair over and sat down beside his bed. Her hand took his hand and she gently caressed his fingers, never taking her eyes away from the face she loved more than words could ever express…

~*~

The days rolled on under the sky of Colorado Springs, sometimes washed with sunlight, sometimes bringing the rain kicking its hard drops on the windows of Dr. Mike's Clinic. Atlantis watched it all from the room where Matthew was healing. Each day brought sunlight to her heart as he felt better and stronger with each minute that passed by. Even when the heavy rain was pouring, colouring the day in dark gray, for Atlantis the dark colours didn't exist anymore as she sat at the bedside of the man whom she loved with her whole heart.

They spent hours and hours talking about everything and nothing or sometimes not talking at all, just enjoying each other's company. During the first days, Atlantis helped Dr. Mike and Colleen to take care of Matthew as his wounds were still preventing him from functioning normally. After Michaela and Colleen would clean his wounds and change the bandages, they would leave the room and Atlantis would wash Matthew's face and helped him to get some food and drink, followed with few kisses that he managed to steal from her when she would get too close. These precious moments they spent alone during his recovery days were connecting them with a bond that was visible only to the two of them.

Atlantis healed completely under Dr. Mike's watchful eye and she started to look forward to the days in front of her. With Atlantis' approval, Michaela started to work with little Matthew to get over his traumas that were still having their effect on little boy. It surely helped to have Atlantis and Matthew near by because little one had grown very attached to Michaela's oldest son.

Hank came regularly to inform them about the prisoners that he was keeping an eye on until the judge arrived and Matthew recovered well enough to testify. Atlantis didn't want to hear anything about her Mother and her husband so she stayed away from Hank during those times.

This particular day Atlantis went to get some groceries from the mercantile. Entering, she greeted Loren and looked around on the shelves for the things she needed.

She took a few apples and placing them into the basket, she looked around at the people in the store. They were all talking to each other and discussing the matters of the town, as children ran through the shop searching for candies and toys.

Atlantis watched all this, wondering if the town would ever accept her after everything that happened. She did get some "hellos" and polite nods from the people, but there were also some who judged her merely by their eyes.

She was certain that her life was here, in this town. She was safe here, protected and – the most important thing – loved. She didn't want to lose that and decided to fight hard to gain these people's trust.

_But what can I do? I've been in the circus whole my life_, she thought, walking between shelves as her hand softly passed over the things that were laid out for the people to buy. All of a sudden, she stopped in front of one shelf and looked at it intently. She heard Jake and Hank coming inside the store and a smile curled up her lips as she got an idea.

Picking a few more things in her basket, she walked toward the counter. "I think I got everything I need, Mr. Bray," she nodded, a soft smile still dancing on her lips "Good day, gentlemen," she nodded to Jake and Hank.

"Miss," Jake tipped his hat in a reply while Hank merely smiled one of his famous smiles.

"You sure seem happy today," Loren couldn't hold back his curiosity and Atlantis shrugged, looking innocently at him as he packed her things.

"Just thought about what I want to do with the rest of my life," Atlantis said, causing Loren's smile to grow even bigger. She had to bite her lower lip as to not laugh at the sheer curiosity that was bursting out from the old man.

"So, you're planning on staying here in Colorado?" Loren asked. As Atlantis nodded, Hank jumped in. "For that, you need a job, Missy." Taking the cigar out of his mouth, he grinned, "And I can always use a pretty face like yours in the saloon."

Atlantis raised one eyebrow at the three men chuckling like the three old gossipers. Tilting her head at her right, Atlantis shook her head, trying to hide her smile.

"Sorry, gentlemen, I'll have to disappoint you. My plans are quite different than that." She took her money out and placing it on the counter, she declared, "I'm going to be a hairdresser." She nodded her goodbyes and started to walk out from the store, only to be followed by Jake who yelled like a child who hadn't gotten the toy he wanted. "But, you can't!"

"Why?" Atlantis turned around, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand above them.

"Because I'm the hairdresser in this town!" he huffed.

"Not for the women, Mr. Slicker," concluded Atlantis and smiling, she continued her way toward the Clinic.

"Aaaaahhh, another Dr. Mike-like!" groaned Loren.

"Yeah, what does she think? That she can do a man's job?" Jake was pissed.

"Scared of a little competition, ey, Jake?" smirked Hank, causing Jake to storm away from the store porch. Loren grumbled his way back to the store and Hank couldn't help but laugh. He watched Atlantis going down the street and said, "This should be fun. You sure got yourself a heck of a woman, Cooper," and he went back toward sallon, smirking all the way.

~*~

Still smiling about Jake and Loren's reactions, Atlantis entered the Clinic. Michaela looked up from cleaning the medical instruments and smiled seeing young woman in such a good mood.

Atlantis looked at her doctor and smiling, she asked, "Is Matthew ready?"

"I think so, he'll be down any minute," just as Michaela said that, doors that led to recovery room opened and Matthew showed up, supported by Colleen. Atlantis was by his side in a flash and she looked worriedly at Michaela. "You sure he is up to it?"

"Just make sure he takes it easy. A walk and some time in the fresh air will do him good," replied Dr. Mike. She looked at her oldest son and said, "Now, if you feel any dizziness or sickness, Matthew, I want you to…"

"I'll be fine, Ma, I am big boy," Matthew smiled warmly at Michaela. "Plus, I have a police officer who will watch every step I take," he grinned as Atlantis playfully tickled him on his side and he chuckled saying, "That's not a way to treat a wounded man."

"Oh, really?" smiled Atlantis, reaching for the doorknob and leaving the Clinic, her eyes fixed on Matthew's feet as they reached the stairs.

"Yeah", Matthew replied, his arm resting comfortably around Atlantis' shoulders. He took in her lovely face and raised one eyebrow as they walked slowly toward Grace's café. "You sure look happy about something."

Still concentrating on Matthew's steps, Atlantis smirked, "Had a funny talk with Mr. Slicker earlier."

"Jake? What did he want?"

"Oh, nothing, I just gave him something to think about," she giggled, "And probably Loren and Hank, too."

Matthew's smile grew wider as he heard her laughter. It was music to his ears and he loved to see her like this. "Okay, fess up, Miss Mischief, what did you do?"

"Well," she smiled, looking up at his blue eyes. "I figured out what I want to do for a living and I don't think that Mr. Slicker is comfortable with that idea." As Matthew gave her quizzical look, Atlantis continued, "I decided I wanna be a hairdresser, maybe even doing make up for women in town. I was in the circus all my life, always took care of it and people said that I am good at that."

Matthew felt his heart speeding up at the mere thought of what this actually meant. "So… that means you're staying?"

"Well… Yeah. If you want me to," blushed Atlantis, all of a sudden feeling uncertain about the whole idea. Did she allow herself to hope for what couldn't be?

She felt Matthew stop a few steps before Grace's and his arm around her shoulders slid down her back in a gentle move. Atlantis watched breathless as he slowly leaned his face closer to hers and heard him whisper, "More than anything in this world," and with those words, he pulled her closer to him, closing his warm lips over her soft lips in a way that made it impossible to stop the soft moan that escaped her throat. As she kissed him back, her fingers gently caressed the hair at the nape of his neck. Her whole being ached for his touch and he wasn't making it easier for her as he deepened the kiss, his tongue gently exploring the sweetness of her mouth. The earth felt like it disappeared under her legs as his fingers caressed her back.

Voices in the distance broke the magical moment between them and Atlantis thought that her legs would fail her as Matthew slowly pulled away from her lips. He noticed that and held her more tightly with his arms to steady her, giving her a smile full of love.

"I thought I was the one who should support you," whispered Atlantis, feeling her cheeks becoming a nice shade of red from his intense gaze, yet she couldn't suppress a soft smile as she lost herself, swimming in the blue oceans of his eyes.

"Lets just say that I'd like to return the favor," he replied, winking at her and she chuckled, shaking her head as they continued their way toward Grace's café.


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay, here is a new chapter! Big surprise in this one… It is based on the facts from "The Circus" episode. I took Michaela and Heart's conversation from that episode and it is marked in Italics.**

**Chapter 20**

Atlantis helped Matthew to sit down, slowly as to not hurt his wounds. She could feel each shot of pain that flashed through him and even though he always hid it from her, she could sense it.

"Easy, easy," she whispered, making sure that he was seated comfortably. After she was sure enough, Atlantis pulled a chair over for herself and sat down. It was then when she caught Matthew's smile and asked jokingly, "What? Have I got two more heads?"

"No," he laughed, "I just can't believe that you are back here, that's all. In this town…", covering her hand with his palm, he added, "And in my life."

Atlantis smiled, feeling her cheeks warming up at his loving words and she gazed into his eyes. "It's all I ever wanted, but didn't think it was possible." She watched as his fingers traced down the line of her hand and her heart beat faster with each movement of his fingertips. She couldn't believe that she was allowed to be so happy, she was sure that happiness had abandoned her a long time ago. She never dreamed that it was possible to have Matthew back in her life – when that was all she had ever wanted.

Trying to hide the emotions, she quickly changed the subject. "So, what do you think about my idea for a job?"

Matthew nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "Definitely a good idea. You have experience with that and the women in this town will be thrilled to have their own place for that, as Jake strictly cuts men's hair."

"What about all the women, where do they get haircuts?"

Matthew shrugged. "I guess it's the same like with Dr. Mike and Colleen, they do it for each other."

Atlantis couldn't hide her astonishment. "What? Mr. Slicker doesn't even want to cut little girls' hair?" As Matthew shook his head, Atlantis creased her eyebrows even more. "What a jerk!" As everybody in the café grew silent, Atlantis realized that she had said it too loud and her face grew dark red while Matthew nearly choked over his coffee from laughter. "Very funny," huffed Atlantis, pretending to be upset.

"No, what must have been funny is Jake's face when you told him your plan," chuckled Matthew, earning himself a mischievous smirk from Atlantis.

"He reminded me of a circus monkey we once had. If he didn't get what he wanted, he would get angry like a child and wouldn't cooperate during the show," she said and they both laughed. Atlantis' face suddenly darkened as she remembered the circus and life with Heart…

Matthew noticed the shadow passing over Atlantis' beautiful face. "Hey, what's the matter?"

Atlantis took in a shivering breath. One look in Matthew's eyes calmed her down a bit and she whispered, "I don't know what to do now. Hank's been coming with information from the jail and I know we are waiting for the judge. I just don't know what to do first."

"Well, we have to wait for a judge to come before we go into trial. But, don't worry, they can't hurt you now," he tried to comfort her and she smiled weakly.

"Matthew, I was thinking… this waiting is killing me and I just want to start doing something… And you offered to be my lawyer, I was wondering could you help me…umm… could you help me with…divorce?"

Matthew nodded. "Of course. I'll send a telegram to my colleague in Denver to send me all necessary documentation so we could start working on that. We will also need to get custody papers for your son." As a panic flickered over Atlantis' face, he quickly added, "Don't worry, it's just a formality. Based on everything that's happened, the child will stay with you for sure."

"I don't want that monster near my son again. Ever," whispered Atlantis, on the edge of tears. Matthew's fingers gently squeezed her palm and he added "I'll take care of it. Why don't we get something to eat and then we can go to Horace to send that telegram, okay?", he smiled, softly caressing the skin on her hand with his palm. She held his hand more tightly and whispered, "Thank you, Matthew."

~*~

Michaela was cleaning the instruments in her clinic, taking advantage of some time without patients. There was nobody in a need of a doctor this morning and Matthew was outside with Atlantis.

She rubbed the cloth harder against the instrument as her thoughts drifted away to her oldest son and her eyes filled with tears, remembering everything that Matthew had been through recently…and before. She could see that something was growing between him and Atlantis and she was terrified with just a mere thought that somebody could snatch Atlantis and little Matthew from him. Michaela just wasn't sure how many more heartaches her oldest son could survive.

A few tears rolled down her cheeks and Michaela angrily brushed them away with her palm. The sight of Matthew being shot and his lifeless body laying beside Atlantis who was unconscious and Heart standing there with a gun made Michaela feel sick to her stomach as she remembered how she welcomed that woman when she arrived in Colorado for the first time.

Channeling all her anger into cleaning the instrument, Michaela rubbed it even harder with the cloth as she remembered the dinner she, her family and Dorothy had at Heart's camp all those years ago.

"_How did you begin doing this?", asked Michaela._

_Heart smiled. "I traveled from Ireland when my parents died. And with the tiny inheritance I started my own circus. I was always a great one for the performing, making people laugh, making them gasp at my daring feats. My Father told me that I was a gift from the leprechauns. I was very close to my Father."_

_Michaela nodded "I can understand that."_

_Heart looked away from woman doctor toward teenage Atlantis who was setting up the table and added, "Then when I found Atlantis, she was just a small child, a freak show in Saint Louis. I wanted her to know that she was a gift."_

_Michaela's gaze followed Heart's eyes and she commented, "You're both very lucky."_

"You know, it won't get cleaner if you put so much strength in it, you could only break it," Sully's voice was heard through the fog of Michaela's thoughts, but she wasn't completely aware of what he said.

Her eyes widened in shock. Sully's smile disappeared as he approached her "Michaela?"

"_Then when I found Atlantis, she was just a small child, a freak show in Saint Louis. I wanted her to know that she was a gift."_

An instrument dropped from Michaela's hands, along with the cloth and she gasped "Oh, my God!"

"Michaela, what's wrong?"

Michaela's eyes slowly looked at her husband's worried face as Heart's voice once again echoed in her head

"_Then when I __found__ Atlantis, she was just a small child, a freak show in Saint Louis."_

"Oh, my God… Sully…", Michaela mumbled in shock. "Atlantis… Atlantis is not Heart's daughter!"


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks, my darling Kruemi, for beta – reading! **

**Chapter 21**

Sully frowned, "What?!"

"I just remembered the talk I had with Heart. Remember when she invited us and the kids and Dorothy for a dinner at her place?"

As her husband nodded, Michaela continued, "I was talking with her for a few minutes, alone, and she told me about how she started with the whole circus thing, how she came from Ireland after her parents died. Sully…" The following words Michaela whispered through tears, "She told me that she found Atlantis in St. Louis when she was just a small child… a freak show."

Michaela covered her mouth with her palm, her tears breaking her down. Sully pulled her in his embrace, not knowing what to say at first.

"Michaela, are you sure?" he at last asked, gently caressing his wife's long hair.

Michaela looked at him and nodded. He rubbed his forehead, letting out a breath of frustration.

"Sully… what should we do?" Michaela mumbled, panic arising in her voice.

"You think that Atlantis knows?"Sully looked at his wife once again and her silence was reply enough.

"How could we even break such news to her?" Michaela whispered nervously. Sully gently squeezed her upper arms and looking at her face, he said, "Okay, first we gotta find out if it is true."

"Well, I'd have to do some tests…" said Michaela

"Okay, we'll figure out something. How soon can you know the results?" asked Sully. Michaela thought quickly, "I should send specimens to Denver, but it shouldn't be long. I'll wire the laboratory, saying it's urgent."

"All right. We'll do that first and then see if we are going to say anything to Atlantis."

"What about Matthew? He's running the case, perhaps he should know about this?" Michaela still couldn't calm down.

"Let's wait until they come back, we'll see how he feels." Those words said, Sully shared a concerned look with Michaela. They both knew that the tests would probably show what they both thought – Heart wasn't Atlantis' mother.

~*~

"Hey, Horace," Matthew greeted the tall man and Atlantis nodded, saying, "G'day Mr. Bing."

Horace turned around and smiled, seeing the two young people, "Oh, Atlantis, Matthew, hello. How can I help you?"

"I need to wire a Law Office in Denver," said Matthew, taking a piece of paper and starting to write. Horace watched the young man writing and his smile disappeared as he asked, "Is it about what happened to you?"

"Among other things, yes," replied Matthew, not looking up.

Atlantis was concentrated on what he was writing, so they both missed the concerned look on Horace's face. It was only when Horace mumbled, "Oh, dear, perhaps I should say something about that telegram," that it caught both Matthew and Atlantis' attention.

"What telegram, Horace?" asked Matthew.

"I actually shouldn't say anything because I took an oath," hesitated Horace.

Seeing Atlantis' scared face, Matthew put the pen down and went to close the doors of the telegraph office. As he did that, he came back toward the counter and, leaning his hands on it, he looked at Horace. "Horace, you know that this whole thing will go before the court. Now, if you know something that might help Atlantis to get free from Heart and her husband, you have to tell us."

As Horace still wasn't assured, Matthew added, barely holding back his frustration and impatience, "Horace, I am Atlantis' lawyer; so if you know something and you aren't saying it, you are actually helping the crime."

Horace's eyes widened and he shook his head, already frightened. "No, Matthew, how could you think that I…" he started to protest, but Matthew stopped him. "I know, Horace. I know that you aren't doing that on purpose. But you gotta tell me if you know something."

Swallowing hard, Horace looked at Atlantis, then back to Matthew before he slowly nodded. As he reached under the counter, searching for something, Matthew felt Atlantis taking his hand. Her face was deadly pale. Matthew gently squeezed her fingers, trying to calm her down.

"Here it is," said Horace, coming back from under the counter with a piece of paper.

"What is it?" whispered Atlantis as Horace gave it to Matthew.

"It's a telegram that Mrs. Heart sent just a short time before you got shot. She said that she's contacting a relative and that it is confidential as it was meant to be a surprise for Atlantis."

Atlantis' eyes widened in shock and fear as she heard what Horace said and as she saw what was written on the piece of paper…

_«We're in Colorado Springs.»_

"Oh my God!" Atlantis silently gasped.

"Horace, do you have a recipient's address?" Matthew didn't want to lose another minute.

"Umm…yes, it gotta be here somewhere." Horace searched through some papers but then saw it written on the other side of the one that Matthew held in his hand. "Oh, how stupid of me! It's on the other side, Matthew," said Horace.

Atlantis' entire being transferred into eyes as she watched when Matthew turned the paper.

**Paul Johnson **

The world turned black for Atlantis. The last thing she saw was Matthew and Horace rushing toward her – before the darkness swallowed her and she slumped onto the floor, unconscious.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Matthew managed to catch Atlantis before she hit the floor with her head. He barely noticed the pain that shot through his wounds. Carefully he sat down on the floor, leaning against the counter and placing Atlantis' head gently on his lap. The world around him vanished as his fingertips ran alongside Atlantis' cheeks. He swallowed hard and tried to gently hit her cheeks to wake her up.

"Should I get Dr. Mike?" Horace kneeled down beside him. Matthew merely nodded.

Horace ran fast out of the telegraph office and Matthew could hear him calling Dr. Mike through the fog of his thoughts. He bent down and kissed Atlantis' forehead, whispering barely audible, "Wake up, Atlantis, I'm here, don't be afraid."

He gently hit her cheeks again, swallowing tears, "Wake up, sweetheart."

"Matthew!" Dr. Mike ran inside the telegraph office, followed by Sully. Her heart broke as she saw her oldest son's face; she could read every flicker of pain and desperation on it. Quickly, she changed into doctor's mode. "What happened?" she asked as she kneeled down, checking Atlantis' pulse.

"She fainted," Matthew silently replied, watching his mother working.

"Did she hit the floor with her head?" asked Michaela as she checked Atlantis' head for any bumps.

"No, I caught her before she hit it," whispered Matthew and it was only then that Michaela noticed his shirt and gasped; there was some blood on it. "Matthew, you're bleeding, we should get you to the Clinic and change…" she started to talk, but he interrupted her. "I'm fine, Ma. Just help Atlantis, please."

The look of desperation in Matthew's blue eyes broke Michaela's heart all over again, and she blinked a few tears away, trying to act fast and stay calm. She searched through her medical bag and finding a small bottle, she put it under Atlantis' nostrils. In next minute, the young woman's eyes flew wide open and she gasped.

"Easy, easy, Atlantis," advised Dr. Mike quietly, the speed of Atlantis' fast breathing causing her forehead to crease in concern. Matthew saw it and asked, "What's wrong, Dr. Mike?"

Michaela took out her stethoscope. "She's obviously suffered a shock or some stress that caused her breathing to quicken. I got to get her to the clinic, check her blood pressure."

"He's gonna find me. He always does because she tells him," Atlantis mumbled silently, tears choking her. She coughed, barely aware of what is she was saying. Michaela looked confused at Matthew, but he didn't catch her eyes as he bent down, ignoring the pain that was growing stronger inside of his wounds. "No, he won't. I won't allow them to hurt you anymore, Atlantis, do you hear me?" he took her palm and she held onto it for dear life. "Calm down, darling," he whispered and as Atlantis' eyes met Matthew's, Michaela could feel the young woman's heart slowing down to a regular pace. She looked up and called, "Sully, Horace, help me get them to the clinic."

Sully gently picked Atlantis up in his arms as Dr. Mike and Horace helped Matthew to get up, and they slowly left the telegraph office.

~*~

Sully looked up from the floor as Michaela closed the door of the recovery room.

"How are they?" he asked, going toward his wife.

"A few stitches on Matthew's wounds broke, that's what caused the bleeding. But I fixed it, he should be all right," Michaela silently replied.

"What about Atlantis?" asked Sully.

"She'll be fine, she just had a lot of stress; that's what caused her to faint," she replied, somehow distant though.

Noticing that, Sully asked "You all right?"

Michaela took in a deep breath, "I'm just wondering… is this the right thing for Matthew?"

She looked up into her husband's eyes. "He's been through so many bad things, Sully, I don't know whether he can handle this."

"You're still trying to be his Ma and take care of him, and Matthew still refuses that and tries to be grown up," commented Sully.

"Yes, like in the beginning. Guess some things never change," Michaela let out frustrated breath.

"You're wrong. Something DID change."

As Michaela looked up at him questioningly, Sully simply said, "Matthew IS a grown man now, Michaela."

Michaela watched Sully for few seconds and then rubbed the nape of her neck tiredly. "I know, I just… I hate to see him hurt, Sully. And this whole thing with Atlantis has done nothing but hurt him."

"Maybe physically," was Sully's short reply.

"What does that suppose to mean?" Michaela shot back.

Softly smiling at his wife, Sully replied, "As a doctor, you only see physical wounds, Michaela. What you're missing to see is the emotional healing. She's given him something he didn't have for years." He looked deep into his wife's eyes and gently caressed her back. "Something you gave to me as well."

Michaela was lost for words; she knew that Sully was right, and she had to smile softly at his last comment. "You really think it will work between them?"

Sully nodded, "It already does. You're just worrying too much to see it, Mother Hen."

At these words, Michaela playfully slapped him on his shoulder. Sully chuckled and hugging his wife, he said, "Come on, you need to rest."

~*~

"You're feeling better?" asked Matthew, gently caressing Atlantis' hair.

She nodded, looking up at him. "I am sorry, Matthew," she whispered.

"For what?" He watched her confused.

"You've hurt yourself again because of me," Atlantis silently mumbled, her eyes stopping on his wounds. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey, hey," Matthew's soft voice reached Atlantis' ears and she felt his index finger gently lifting her chin. "Look at me."

Fighting tears, Atlantis looked up at the face of the man she loved with her whole heart and immediately got lost in the love for her she saw in them. "I'm fine. Really." As his hand moved along her cheek and caressed it, he added, "More than fine. Thanks to you."

"To me?" she whispered, confused. Matthew nodded, smiling softly.

"I thought that I'll never be happy again. But you changed that. And all the difficulties and problems that cross our path, we'll beat them together, Atlantis, don't you worry about that."

His hands moved up and down her shoulders and upper arms as he carefully mentioned the painful subject, "I know that this shocked you, that you feel betrayed beyond words because of what Heart did."

As Atlantis' eyelashes glittered with tears, Matthew gently kissed each of her eyelids, taking away the teardrops with his lips, causing her to let out a breath and to hug him, careful not to hurt him.

"But, I promise you, Atlantis, this part of your life is over. I'll make sure that they never hurt you and your son again. They'll stay in prison for everything they did to you and they will never hurt you again. I know it hurts you what you found out today, but we will use this as an evidence and Horace as a witness."

"I can't believe that she would do that, Matthew," Atlantis whispered. "She's my mother. How could she?"

He felt her sobs against his chest and held her closer to him. "Let it all out," he whispered. He knew all too well how she felt, remembering every tear he shed as a kid because of Ethan.

"You're so lucky, Matthew, you have a wonderful family, your parents would die for you, they would never try to hurt you," he heard her silent voice.

"You're wrong, darling. Dr. Mike and Sully aren't my parents."

That caught Atlantis' attention and she slightly pulled away to look up into Matthew's eyes. "What?" she whispered.

Matthew nodded, "It's true"

As she watched him confused, he took in a deep breath and said, "Come on, let's sit down and I'll tell you everything."

Atlantis nodded and slowly walked toward the bed, helping Matthew to go with her, careful of each step he made. "You should lie down, rest those wounds," she insisted and helped him to lie down and lean against the pillows. "That comfortable?" she asked concerned.

Matthew softly smiled, "Almost. There's only one thing missing."

"You want another pillow?" she asked, looking around the room.

Matthew shook his head and caught her arm. As she looked at him, he said, "You." Smiling he added, "Come over here."

He patted the spot beside him and Atlantis smiled, laying down and snuggled up to him. With one hand around her shoulders and the other hand resting in her hand, Matthew started to talk.

"My biological father Ethan Cooper abandoned my mother when I was just a kid. Brian was still a baby, Colleen was seven years old. It all started back on our farm in Topeka. I heard them fighting every day and night. Ethan wanted to sell the farm and go for an adventure, but my mom was against it; she didn't want to put us through it. And one day he just showed up, all excited and said that we're gonna go mining for gold. My mom was desperate; he'd sold everything we had and put us on a horse wagon, setting out into the hills. I tried to help my mom to take care of Colleen and Brian. Colleen got cold not long after we started to travel and it took mom and me quite some fighting with Ethan to force him to stop in a town nearby to get a doctor's help."

It didn't go by unnoticed to Atlantis that Matthew never used the word "dad" or "father" for Ethan, and she caressed his palm, listening carefully, her heart breaking for him.

"One day, I woke up before dawn to find my ma just standing outside the tent, her palm on her mouth as she tried hard not to sob and wake us up. I went toward her, asking what's wrong. The mine exploded, all the possible gold was lost and Ethan just took all the money and disappeared."

"He just left you all without anything?!" gasped Atlantis. As Matthew nodded, she sat closer to him, leaning onto the wall and putting both her hands around Matthew's shoulders. She didn't have a clue that his life was such a mess.

"For few days, we managed to survive in the wilderness. I learned how to hunt and got us some food sometimes, but it wasn't enough. We tried to find some place to stay, our ma tried to get a job somewhere for some shelter and food, but nobody wanted to take in a single mother with three kids. It was a burden to everyone. That was when I remembered mom's old friend, Miss Olive, and suggested that we go to ask her for help. So, that's how we came to Colorado Springs. With Miss Olive's help, mom started a boarding house, renting out the rooms and cooking for the guests."

"How old were you back then?" whispered Atlantis.

"Thirteen, fourteen, I don't know," shrugged Matthew, and Atlantis realized that he grew older back then, skipping the years that should have been the happiest in his life in order to take care of his family. He stopped being a child.

"I did some jobs for Miss Olive too while I was finishing school. Chopped some wood, fed animals at her place, and helped her out in the store. It wasn't much, but it helped. I couldn't allow mom to take care of everything, she also needed to rest and I didn't want that Brian and Colleen miss anything."

"What happened to your mom?" Atlantis gently asked.

There was dead silence in the room for several minutes before she heard Matthew's reply, "She died of a rattle snake bite a few years ago. On her deathbed she asked Dr. Mike to take care of us."

"And Ethan?"Atlantis tentatively asked. She felt Matthew tensing up in her arms and heard him silently saying, "Didn't come back then. He came back long after, twice actually, but not because he cared for us, but because he wanted some money. First time he stole it from the church and the second time he tried to take Colleen and Brian so that he could inherit his new wife's money as she couldn't have children."

Atlantis felt Matthew swallowing hard several times and she looked down at him. His face was like made of stone.

"Matthew?' she softly called him. As he avoided looking at her, staying silent, Atlantis tightened her hold on him and kissed his dark blonde hair. She soothingly said, "It's all right, Matthew. You don't have to swallow your tears anymore. Let them all out, darling."

As she kissed his hair one more time, she felt a breath stopping inside of his lungs – only to explode as bitter tears seconds later. Atlantis pulled Matthew closer to her as he sobbed, his face buried in her chest, and she knew: This was the first time Matthew allowed himself to break down because of his lost childhood.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

The clock on the wall ticked at its own chosen speed, the sound of it echoing back from the walls of the recovery room. Atlantis barely heard its sound. Her hands caressed Matthew's back and shoulders as his sobs disappeared in the warmth of her chest. She could literally feel the pieces of burden that were hidden for so long deep inside him falling off his heart with each tear he shed. Atlantis didn't even try to stop his strong crying. She knew that he needed it; so she just gently rocked him like she had done with her son for years. She could feel his arms around her waist as he held onto her for dear life. Sharp pain was piercing her heart and she felt the tears rolling down her own cheeks at seeing him so broken. Yet, she didn't stop it, didn't try to hush him down. She knew that he needed to let it all out and that he hadn't allowed himself to do that before, protecting others. That was Matthew – and she loved him dearly for it, but she also had learned that so much swallowed heartache could break a person. She didn't want that to happen to the man she loved with every part of her heart, and she swore she would stand beside him through it, no matter what.

Quite some time had passed before Atlantis felt Matthew's breathing slowing down and setting into a peaceful pace. Her fingertips gently caressed his hair as her other hand held him firmly close to her, still rocking him gently. The silence that prevailed and the sound of his breathing growing deeper and calmer were a sign to Atlantis that Matthew has fallen asleep. Smiling sadly, she placed a gentle kiss on his hair and relaxing against the pillows, she allowed herself to let the sound of his breathing beside her lull her into a peaceful sleep, too.

~*~

The train whistled loudly before it stopped, letting out steam from the locomotive. Citizens of Colorado Springs rushed to meet their relatives and friends that were on board. Matthew stood a little bit away from his family and Atlantis, his face serious as he watched a tall, grey-haired man descending the few steps of the wagon. Firmly but politely Matthew approached him, "Judge Harrisson?"

The passenger looked at the young man over the edges of his eyeglasses, "Mr. Cooper, I assume?"

As Matthew nodded, the judge accepted his outstretched hand and they shook them.

"I appreciate that you've come so fast, Judge," Matthew stated seriously.

"Luckily, the case I had to work on at the time you wired for me was close to the end, so I made sure to book a ticket for Colorado Springs as soon as possible because this sounded like a very serious case."

"It is," nodded Matthew. "But first, let's get you settled."

As the older man agreed with a simple nod of his head, Matthew and he walked toward Preston's hotel.

Nervously rubbing her right palm against her left palm, Atlantis watched the two men. Noticing her friend's anxiety, Colleen placed one hand on Atlantis' shoulders. As she looked at her, the young doctor warmly smiled, "Atlantis, don't worry about a thing. Matthew knows what he is doing."

"I know," Atlantis breathed out, still not able to completely calm down.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Matthew, not at all. She trusted him with her life. It was just that she was afraid of what was to come; the trial and the fact that she'd have to face Heart and Paul again. She didn't know how she would do it. She was too scared.

Michaela could also feel that Atlantis' nerves were on edge, and she decided to help Colleen in calming the young woman down.

"Atlantis."she gently called.

As Atlantis looked at her, Dr. Mike gave her a comforting smile, "Colleen is right. Matthew is one of the best lawyers in Denver; he won cases that people thought were hopeless. He will get you out of that mess, trust me."

"I do trust you, Dr. Mike," was Atlantis' silent reply. "I… I just… I'm just too scared to face them again," she finished, taking in a shivering breath.

"Don't worry, Atlantis. We're all gonna be there for you," Colleen's voice was heard. As Atlantis looked at her thankfully, Colleen hugged her friend.

~*~

Taking her stethoscope out of her ears, Michaela looked at Atlantis, "Well, it seems as if everything is fine. Your lungs sound clean and healthy and the cough has been gone for over a month."

A wide smile lit up Atlantis' beautiful face as she asked, "So I'm gonna be all right?"

"Absolutely," smiled Dr. Mike. "But I still want you to look out for yourself. Be careful that you don't catch a cold and drink some more tea, just in case. You also have to eat to recover your strength, but other than that, you will be just fine." Those words said and Michaela was greeted by a strong hug from Atlantis, causing her to smile in surprise.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Mike. For everything," whispered Atlantis. Michaela smiled, pulling away, "You're welcome."

In that moment, there was a knock at the door and after Mike's "Come in" they opened and Matthew entered the room.

Knowing that Atlantis went for an examination today, he could neither hide the concern in his voice nor on his face. "How is she?" he asked, stepping closer.

Michaela smiled at her son, "She's just fine. She still needs to get her strength back, but the pneumonia is gone."

"So, she can go home?"Matthew impatiently asked.

That caught both Dr. Mike and Atlantis off guard. Michaela stumbled over her next words, "Well, there's no need for her to stay at the clinic anymore."

"I guess I should start looking out for a place to stay with the trial coming up," Atlantis glanced at Michaela, and the doctor nodded.

"Nonsense!"Matthew chimed in. "You and Matthew are staying with me."

"Matthew!" Michaela couldn't hold back her astonishment and Atlantis' cheeks blushed intensively.

As her eyes met her oldest son's eyes, Michaela whispered, "Matthew, I know that you're just trying to protect both of them, but… I don't think that it's a good idea…"

Before she could go on, Matthew stopped her, "Dr. Mike, I know what are you thinking and honestly, I don't care what people will say. I talked to Judge Harrison about this whole thing and he said that it shouldn't affect the case if Atlantis and Matthew moved into the homestead."

"They can stay at our place. I'm sure that Katie would love to have Matthew around," Michaela tried one more time, but Matthew was ready for this as well. "Dr. Mike, your place is crowded. With Colleen back and Katie, you and Sully barely have some time alone." He couldn't hold back a smile as Michaela's cheeks reddened. "And I have plenty of free room left," Matthew's face grew serious again. "Dr. Mike, I couldn't risk you, Colleen, Sully and Katie get hurt if someone shows up looking for Atlantis. We don't know whether Paul has some allies. And I couldn't trust anybody else to look after the two of them like I would."

All this time, Atlantis was quiet. The mere idea of living with Matthew made her heart skip a beat. She understood Dr. Mike's point of view; she was sure that people would talk. Jake and Hank would probably place some bets about it. But as she watched Matthew's face while he talked to Dr. Mike, she could see that he didn't care about it.

Michaela always knew when she was defeated. Over the years, she often argued with Matthew because of his stubbornness and his rushing into something unknown. But, she had to admit to herself that the last argument they had was years ago. It was just like Sully said not so long ago – Matthew WAS a grown up man now. There was no doubt about that. His actions never caused her to hide her eyes from others in shame; on the contrary – Matthew made her proud of being able to call him her son. He'd grown into an honest, loyal and hard-working man who was respected by everyone.

So she took her stethoscope away from her neck and placing it back into her medical bag, she simply nodded, "Well, I'm not the one you have to talk to."

Glancing over at Atlantis, Michaela excused herself and went out of the clinic, closing the door behind her.

The words Dr. Mike had said had reached Matthew's ears and he turned toward Atlantis. Seeing the color of her cheeks, he gently smiled, "So, what do you think?"

Atlantis swallowed hard, watching his blue eyes. "Are you sure you're okay with that? I mean, you grew up here, everybody knows you and Dr. Mike is right, people will talk. I don't want to put a bad mark on your reputation," she nervously rambled.

Before she could even finish her sentence properly, Matthew leaned down and placed a loving kiss on her lips. As he slightly pulled away after a few seconds, Atlantis felt the shivering breath escaping her mouth as he whispered, "You talk too much, Atlantis."

With his face so close to hers, Atlantis blushed intensively again and whispered back through a teasing smile, "Well, I was a performer for years. One of my main tasks was to talk."

"Ah, I see. Professional deformation," Matthew nodded, pretending to be slightly frustrated, causing Atlantis to chuckle. She felt his smile as he closed the small space between them one more time and caressed her lips with his, his hands wrapping around her waist. As she managed to catch a short breath she whispered, "Are you sure this won't affect the case?"

As Matthew nodded, she quickly added, "You… you think that Paul might have some allies?"

Hearing the fear in her voice, Matthew carefully said, "I am not sure, but it is the best that we take all the possibilities into consideration. I don't want to risk you and Matthew getting hurt again, and I couldn't trust anybody else to look after you. I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully and would probably go mad out of worry."

Atlantis watched his sparkling eyes, his words calming down the fear that had already started to consume her. She knew that he would never allow that anything happened to her or her son.

"So, I guess that I can't say no, now can I?" she teasingly smiled.

Matthew raised one eyebrow, accepting the playful banter. "Well, you can try, but that would mean that I have to persuade you."

Nodding with the smile growing wider on her lips, Atlantis whispered, "And how would you do that, Mr. Cooper?"

"I guess I would do something like this," was Matthew's reply before his lips brushed against hers in a slow motion, gentle as a breeze.

He was holding her so close to him that he could hear her heart beat against his chest and as he felt it quicken up, his kiss turned into a passionate one, causing Atlantis to softly moan, her fingertips sneaking up into his hair and on the nape of his neck, drawing him closer to her.

Collecting all the strength he had in himself, Matthew pulled away an inch from Atlantis' lips, "How's that?"

Breathing heavily, Atlantis decided to play along. "I don't know. I still think that we will cause quite a gossip around town…"

She was interrupted in the middle of her sentence with one more of Matthew's heated kisses that set her entire body on fire. As his right hand reached under her white blouse, Atlantis silently gasped at the feeling of his fingers on her bare skin. It nearly sent her over the edge; her whole being was aching for his touch. "You're not playing fair, Mr. Cooper", she whispered against his lips receiving a devilish smile from him. "You know what they say, Atlantis: all is fair in love and war."

"Ah, so we're at war, aren't we?" she smirked.

"Only if you decide to say no," replied Matthew, winking at her and Atlantis couldn't help but chuckle.

Her palms caressed his shoulders as she searched his eyes, suddenly falling serious. "Matthew… are you sure you want this?"

He touched her cheek with his palm and gently caressed it, looking lovingly deep into her beautiful brown eyes. "Of course I do. I never wanna let you go again."

He kissed her shortly, but long enough to send warmth down her spine. "So…what do you say?"

Atlantis' vision got slightly blurred as her eyes filled with happy tears and she whispered, "I'd like that."

As she said that, Matthew leaned down and kissed her forehead, pulling her in a warm, strong embrace the next second. She leaned her face on his chest, letting out the breath that she had been keeping inside of herself for such a long time.

Finally, she could see the future in front of her, and for the first time in so many years it didn't frighten her. On the contrary; she was looking forward to it and couldn't wait to reach it, taking one step at a time. She knew that Matthew would be beside her no matter what.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"I'll get the groceries from the store and we can leave in about 15 minutes, how's that?" asked Matthew as he and Atlantis stepped outside on the clinic porch, his arm comfortably settled around her waist.

"Okay," she nodded, "I'll just go to Grace's and get some lunch. I know that this little one here will be hungry the minute we get on the wagon." She motioned with her eyes toward little Matthew who was playing hide and seek with Katie and Samantha and added, "I tried to talk to him to go get something to eat, but he said that he was too busy." At those words, both Atlantis and Matthew chuckled.

"All right, let's get the groceries and lunch and we will meet here, okay?" Matthew asked, looking at the young woman beside him.

"Sure," she softly smiled, looking up at him and he felt his heart warming at the sparkle in her beautiful brown eyes.

As his lips gently kissed her hair, she relaxed against his chest, and closing her eyes for a minute she inhaled deeply, wishing that this moment last forever. Eventually, she opened her eyes and her smile mirrored his. She felt his hand gently caressing her waist before they pulled apart. When she headed toward Grace's Café, a smile was lighting up her face.

As she greeted Grace, the café owner promised to get everything ready and packed in about ten minutes. Atlantis nodded and looked around. It was about lunch time and people were slowly arriving at the café. She smiled watching the children running around and parents trying to calm them down. Many families were getting toward the meadow for a picnic, and she decided to take a stroll until Grace would be done.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and Atlantis felt each sunbeam warming up her heart. For years she yearned to be happy, to get out from the horror her life had become. Now that it was finally happening, she couldn't believe how lucky she was. Not even in her dreams she'd expected that Matthew would be beside her! She had been certain that he was married long time ago and that he didn't even remember her.

As that thought crossed her mind, Atlantis' eyes looked toward the graveyard. Swallowing hard, she looked around. Nobody paid attention to her, and so she slowly walked toward the graveyard.

The silence that embraced her sent sadness into her heart. It was as if she'd stepped aside from the world, and the only sound that she could hear was the wind in the tree that put a shadow on the graves. She let her gaze wander until her eyes stopped on a particular cross… Ingrid's.

Atlantis felt tears rising. It was as if only now she really realized that Ingrid was gone, and the tears rolled down her cheeks like a river. She'd never met a girl like her before; Ingrid was so good and innocent. Atlantis remembered how awkward and uncomfortable she felt after the surgery when she stepped outside with Colleen to go to see the show. When she got instructions that she had to tell somebody if she felt dizzy, she couldn't imagine that Ingrid would say that she will look after her.

"_Just hold onto me if you feel dizzy," Colleen said to her friend, watching each step that Atlantis made. As she felt Atlantis' hold getting tighter on her hand, Colleen shook her head. "Atlantis, I don't think that this is such a good idea. Perhaps you should have stayed in bed."_

"_Colleen," Atlantis tried to smile to ease her friend's concern, "I'm fine. And there's no way I'm going back to bed. I wanna see the show."_

"_But you already saw it so many times", protested Colleen._

"_Not with you in it," explained Atlantis, and for a brief moment Colleen was speechless. Could she really overcome her fear and try to walk on that wire?_

_Letting out a defeated breath, Colleen mumbled, "Just promise me that you'll take it easy and…" Before Colleen could even finish the sentence, a gentle female's voice was heard._

"_I'll look after her, Colleen."_

_Startled, both girls looked up. Atlantis felt the breath caught in her throat as she recognized the girl Matthew was engaged to. She felt shivers going through her. Why would she want to take care of her? Perhaps she wanted to tell her to stay away from Matthew. Atlantis looked at Colleen, begging her with her eyes not to go, not to leave her alone with Matthew's fiancée, but Colleen didn't realize what's going on._

"_Are you sure, Ingrid?"_

"_Yeah, you go; put your costume on. I wanna see you performing, too," smiled Ingrid._

_Atlantis was torn – she didn't want to stay alone with Matthew's fiancée, but if she said that, Colleen wouldn't even try to perform. So, Atlantis swallowed hard and faked a smile to her friend before Colleen went away._

_She didn't know where to look or whether she should say anything, so she just looked down at her bandages, as if she was checking if they were still at the right place._

"_You're Atlantis, yeah?"_

_Atlantis looked up and what she saw surprised her; there wasn't even the slightest accusation on the face of the girl in front of her, nor a warning. She was smiling friendly at her and Atlantis managed to nod._

"_I'm Ingrid. Matthew told me all about you. I'm so happy to meet you."_

_Atlantis felt her throat going dry, „You… you are?"_

_Ingrid nodded._

"_I can't wait to see Matthew performing. I wish I was here so I could have taken part. My sisters would love to join in too."_

_Atlantis felt her lip curling up in a gentle smile, but she was still terrified. With Matthew's name coming up, she was sure that Ingrid would have a go on her the next minute._

Standing beside Ingrid's grave, Atlantis wiped her tears with her shivering fingers. "How wrong I was," she whispered.

"_We should get you away from the sun, you could get dizzy." With the warmth she cared for her little sisters every day, Ingrid allowed Atlantis to lean on her, and they walked toward the wagon that was settled near the stage. _

_Guided by Ingrid, Atlantis felt tears rising. As Matthew's fiancée helped her to sit on the wagon and then sat down next to her, Atlantis finally found the courage to look up at Ingrid._

"_I don't know what to say." Seeing Ingrid's confused facial expression, Atlantis hesitated before she confessed, "I… I mean… I am surprised that you even wanna talk to me."_

"_Why not?" Ingrid asked. "You didn't do anything wrong. And Matthew and Colleen told me such nice things about you, I wanted to meet you."_

"_They…they did?"Atlantis quietly mumbled. As Ingrid nodded, Atlantis looked away. "I'm sorry, Ingrid."_

Atlantis gently caressed the cross that had Ingrid's name on it as she remembered the words that the gentle young woman told her such a long time ago…

"_Don't be. It's all right."_

_As she felt Ingrid's palm gently caressing her hair, Atlantis managed a weak smile._

"_You are very lucky, Ingrid," whispered Atlantis. Over the years, she travelled a lot with the circus and met lots of people… but, the good people like Matthew Cooper were very rare. _

_Ingrid smiled back at her. "I'm s__ure that you will find somebody nice too because you sure deserve it," she said._

_Before the girls could exchange more words, Jake's voice was heard as the show began._

'_How unpredictable life is!_ 'That thought flew across Atlantis' mind as she took in a deep breath, glancing one last time at Ingrid's grave. She would never forget that darling young woman, and she surely won't mind if Matthew mentions her. It was such a tragedy what happened, and Atlantis couldn't find peace with life being so unfair to Ingrid and Matthew. She couldn't even imagine how he felt back than when Ingrid died… Just the mere thought of that sent new tears into her eyes, and Atlantis covered her lips with her palm, quickly walking away a few steps. She placed her palms on a fence that surrounded one of the graves to compose herself. Her eyes were closed and she tried to concentrate on the song of the wind playing its soft tune in the tree. When the tears started to subside, Atlantis opened her eyes…

…And it was then when she saw beside whose grave she was standing: Charlotte Cooper's.

Blinking fast, Atlantis stared at the cross that carried the name of Matthew's ma as the words he told her flashed back in her mind…

"_One day, I woke up before dawn to find my ma just standing outside the tent, her palm on her mouth as she tried hard not to sob and wake us up. I went toward her, asking what's wrong. The mine exploded, all the possible gold was lost and Ethan just took all the money and disappeared."_

'_How awful it must have been for him to face the cruel reality so young'_, thought Atlantis as she absent-mindedly squeezed the fence that surrounded Charlotte's grave. She must have felt so lost and betrayed and scared when she woke up in the middle of nowhere with three little children and absolutely nothing to live from!

"_For a few days, we managed to survive in the wilderness. I learned how to hunt and got us some food sometimes, but it wasn't enough. We tried to find some place to stay, our ma tried to get a job somewhere for some shelter and food, but nobody wanted to take in a single mother with three kids. It was a burden to everyone. That was when I remembered mom's old friend, Miss Olive, and suggested that we go to ask her for help. So, that's how we came to Colorado Springs. With Miss Olive's help, mom started a boarding house, renting out the rooms and cooking for the guests."_

Atlantis glanced at the cross once again, trying to imagine what Matthew's Ma had looked like. Was she tall or not, what kind of hair did she have? Physically, she would never have a chance to see that, and Atlantis felt a huge sadness filling her heart at that realization. However, she was sure about what kind of a person Charlotte Cooper had been: a fighter, a strong woman and a caring mother; there was no doubt about that. The path that her husband had set for her couldn't have been easy, but Charlotte never gave up. She always tried to do the best for her kids.

Atlantis swallowed hard, knowing that Matthew was like a gift from God to Charlotte as she remembered his words.

"_I did some jobs for Miss Olive too while I was finishing school. Chopped some wood, fed animals at her place, and helped her out in the store. It wasn't much, but it helped. I couldn't allow mom to take care of everything, she also needed to rest and I didn't want that Brian and Colleen miss anything."_

Such a young boy and yet he was already grown up, trying to provide for his siblings and help his Mother. Atlantis still remembered how nice he was to her when she came to Colorado Springs years ago with the circus, and not to mention what he did for her now. He actually gave her hope for a better tomorrow and brought a light back into her heart. Matthew was a person that everybody could count on, and Atlantis was sure that he inherited that from his ma.

"I wish I could have met you, Charlotte," whispered Atlantis. "You must have been a very special lady as your children are like three angels."

Looking at Ingrid's grave, Atlantis took a shivering breath in and silently said, "I would walk away from here and from Matthew's life if that would bring you back, Ingrid. It is so unfair what happened to you. I wish that you were both here, that I could bring you back to Matthew."

Wiping the tears that once again started to roll down her cheeks, Atlantis took in a deep breath before she looked up. "But, I can't… I can't do that. Yet there's one thing I can do – I can take care of him for you, love him for you, and I will, I promise you that. I will love Matthew till my last breath and I will try my best to make him happy. And I'll never let him forget you. I promise you that."

Two butterflies flew out of nowhere and settled down beside Atlantis' left hand. She was startled by the gentle touch of their beautiful wings, but as she looked down at them, she felt warmth surrounding her heart. Glancing one last time at the two graves, she repeated the silent promise to Charlotte and Ingrid and turned around – only to face Matthew standing few steps in front of her.

She didn't hear him coming, wasn't even aware of his presence, and now she felt like an intruder. She stepped into the part of his life that was too painful and didn't know now what to say, nor what to expect from him.

Matthew was standing there for almost ten minutes. He'd looked for Atlantis back at Grace's, but the café owner informed him that the young woman decided to take a walk while waiting for their meal. However, the meal was done long time ago, but Atlantis hadn't come back.

It was then when Matthew noticed a lonely figure standing at the graveyard.

He slowly approached her, wondering what Atlantis was doing there… and that was when he saw that she was standing beside his ma's grave but looked at Ingrid's.

The pain mixed with love as he watched Atlantis standing at the place where his happiness was buried… And that was when he heard her talk and felt the tears coming up in his eyes: She loved him beyond words. There was no doubt about that.

And now she was standing in front of him, not saying a single word. Matthew slowly closed the distance between them, and the minute he stopped in front of her Atlantis looked up.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Seeing the relief in her gorgeous brown eyes, Matthew realized that she had been worried about his reaction at seeing her here.

"I wish I could meet your Ma," whispered Atlantis.

"Me too," replied Matthew as he buried his palm in Atlantis long brown hair. "I have a picture of her at the homestead. I'll show you if you wanna see it."

That sentence brought Atlantis' smile back to her lips. Now she knew that Matthew wasn't angry because of her coming here and visiting his mother's and Ingrid's graves. He wanted to share everything with her – and that was what true love was all about.

"I'd like that very much," she gently said, her palm softly caressing the nape of his neck.

His hand travelled from her hair down her back and his lips gently touched hers, his kisses sending a feeling of belonging right into Atlantis' heart. She closed her eyes, savoring that feeling.

And as they slowly parted, Matthew embraced her around her waist with one hand and whispered, "Let's go home."

As she nodded, they started to walk. But at the exit of the graveyard, Atlantis stopped and looked up at the man she loved with every single part of her heart and soul. "Matthew?"

As he looked down at her, she slowly continued, carefully choosing her words, "I just want you to know… If you ever feel the need to talk about Ingrid, or to cry because of her, you can share it with me. Honestly. I wouldn't mind."

As those words left her mouth, Atlantis felt Matthew's hug tightening.

He leaned down and kissed her soft hair.

"You're an angel, Atlantis. And I love you so much," he whispered right next to her ear, making her blood running faster through her veins.

She leaned her head against his shoulder, and as they slowly continued their way back to town, Atlantis softly replied, "I love you too, Matthew."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

They picked up the lunch basket that Grace had prepared for them and went back to town, where little Matthew eagerly awaited them sitting in the back of the wagon, his legs waving through the air, his face lit up with a smile. Atlantis felt the tears of joy in her eyes as she watched her son being so happy – she knew who had done that. Over the weeks they were in Colorado, despite all the hard times they endured, Matthew was still able to keep her little son away from all the heartaches.

With Matthew's help, she climbed up in the wagon and her son immediately moved toward the front seat, hugging her with his small arms around her neck and leaning his soft face on her left shoulder as he stood behind her. Atlantis warmly smiled, caressing her little son's hands as Matthew sat down beside her and started their way toward the homestead.

«Mommy, I won in hide and seek again!» exclaimed little Matthew making both grown ups smile.

«You did?» Atlantis looked at her little one.

The child eagerly nodded. «Yeah! Sammy and Katie were trying to find me each time, but they never could. I hid very well and I found them every time! I think that Sammy might be a bit angry at me,» giggled the boy.

«Honey, you should let them find you sometimes,» chuckled Atlantis.

«Why?» little Matthew asked, totally confused.

«Yeah, why?», Matthew joined in the charade, barely holding back his laughter at Atlantis' facial expression as he spoke.

«Well… because they're girls,» Atlantis shook her head.

«So?» her little son still didn't have a clue what is that his mom was talking about, and Matthew bit his lower lip in order not to laugh.

«You have to be a gentleman sometimes,» Atlantis replied, playfully poking Matthew in his upper arm, her lips curling up in a smile as she noticed his struggle with laughter.

«Aaaaaahhhh, Mommy, but that's boring!»little Matthew groaned making both Atlantis and Matthew laugh out loudly.

The rest of the trip went by with little Matthew's chattering about his day spent with Katie and Samantha. Eventually, Atlantis pulled him on her lap and held him close to her the whole time, hugging him tightly. While the little boy talked and giggled, Atlantis looked at Matthew. He was her strength, her better tomorrow; he gave her will and hope that life could be a beautiful thing. He noticed her silence and looked up at her. He could read every emotion in Atlantis' eyes, and it touched his heart deeply. There was hope inside those hazelnut brown eyes, a hope for a better life, there was so much gratitude for everything he did and most of all, there was unconditional love for him shining in every happy tear that appeared on her long eyelashes.

The homestead showed up in front of them, and little Matthew wriggled his way out of Atlantis' lap and jumped from the wagon, running to see the animals. Atlantis couldn't hold back a chuckle at her son's happiness, and as Matthew helped her down from the wagon, she hugged him tightly around his neck.

«Thank you for bringing my son back,» she whispered and knew that Matthew understood what she meant with those words. His childhood was taken away from him by his own father and Matthew didn't want that to happen to her son.

Matthew hugged Atlantis back, knowing exactly what was she thinking.

«You're welcome,» he gently replied, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of her hair softly brushing against his cheek.

He slowly kissed her hair and they walked toward the house. As they reached the threshold, Matthew scooped Atlantis in his arms causing her to yelp in surprise.

«Matthew!» she looked at him, her cheeks flushing with bright red colour as she realized what he was actually planning to do.

As his lips touched her forehead, Atlantis closed her eyes, a sigh escaping her. He carried her across the threshold, but didn't let her go once they were inside the house. As she opened her eyes, she got lost in his blue eyes that watched her warmly. He didn't say anything at first, but his eyes said enough.

«Matthew» Atlantis whispered. The feeling of him so close to her made her blood boil. He gently put her down, never breaking eye contact.

His fingertips slowly traveled down her jaw line, causing a shivering breath escape from her. She leaned in, wanting to feel his lips on hers, and he gladly accepted it. The kiss was gentle and long before the passion overtook them and Matthew pulled Atlantis closer to him, getting lost in their love…

As they slowly pulled away from each other a few minutes later, heavily breathing, Matthew leaned his forehead against Atlantis'.

«I don't wanna rush you into anything, Atlantis. I know that you're still married and probably won't think about doing that again for a long time after you get divorced. But…» he slowly caressed her back and felt her shiver with pleasure in his embrace, «... I want you to know that I never will take advantage of you. I'll wait for you as long as it takes…»

His voice caressed her heart like the most beautiful melody, and as she looked up at his blue eyes, he gently added, «I will never stop loving you, Atlantis. I wanna raise Matthew with you and grow a big family with you, my angel…Will you marry me?»

A sob escaped Atlantis', and as the happy tears burst from her eyes, she felt a smile taking hold of her lips and nodding, she mumbled, «Yes!»

Matthew's whole face lit up with a happy smile, and he picked her up from the ground, whirling her around as they both laughed . The minute they stopped, Matthew leaned down and placed a loving, deep kiss on Atlantis lips, her tears leaving wet tracks on his cheeks. He kissed away each tear she shed.

«Sorry, I don't have a ring right now,» he whispered.

«Never mind. My finger isn't going anywhere,» joked Atlantis and they both chuckled.

Matthew gently ran his hands through her beautiful long brown hair and staring deeply in her eyes, he whispered, «I love you, Atlantis. I love you so much.»

He leaned down and she breathed, «I love you too, Matthew» before his lips brushed against hers, slowly and gently at first, causing her whole body to tingle with excitement and love. Carried away with passion, Atlantis pressed herself closer to Matthew's body, causing his hold on her to tighten and her heartbeat sped up. Her lips moved a bit over his lips, and in next second, his tongue entered her mouth, deepening their kiss and Atlantis nearly lost her balance. She moaned silently, her hands getting lost in Matthew's dark blonde hair…

«Mommy!! You gotta come to see this!» little Matthew's voice was heard from far away, startling both of them.

«That kid of mine has the worst timing ever!» Atlantis couldn't help but laugh.

«Even worse than mine,» Matthew chuckled.

As Atlantis looked at him questioningly, Matthew explained, «I lost track of the number of how many times I walked in and interrupted Dr. Mike and Sully.»

As this sent Atlantis into laughter, Matthew hugged her around her waist with one hand and said, «Well, you know what they say: 'Like Father, like son'.»

Atlantis' eyes filled with tears as she heard Matthew's words. His eyes spoke volumes to her. She knew that he already accepted little Matthew as his own child.

«I mean it, Atlantis. I wanna be the Father to your son, I will never neglect him, I promise you that,» Matthew determinedly said.

«Oh, Matthew,» Atlantis mumbled through sobs, «I know that. Because of you, my son is happier than ever. I don't know how I can ever thank you for that.» Atlantis' voice drowned in tears and she hugged Matthew tightly. He hugged her back and they just stayed like that for a while. As they slowly parted and looked at each other, little Matthew's giggles were heard again, «Mommy!!!!!»

Matthew raised one eyebrow. «He's improving. I was planning to kiss you… didn't kiss you yet.»

At those words, both he and Atlantis laughed and sharing a quick, gentle kiss, they went outside, hand in hand to see what it was that occupied **their son**.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Matthew was going through his papers, smiling every now and then at hearing little Matthew's laughter from the outside and Atlantis' unsuccessful tries to calm down the excited child. Ever since he woke up, he was thinking about the defense that needed to be prepared for the Court, and after having a short breakfast, he sat down at the table and searched his books.

His thoughts traveled to a conversation from last night, and a smile lifted up the corners of his mouth. The dinner had gone by with little Matthew chattering full speed and Atlantis trying to shut him up by feeding him, which caused the little boy to giggle even more. Matthew was enjoying the dinner so much, he merely watched the two people who brought light back into his heart. He ate silently, only sometimes chuckling at the words little Matthew said to get himself out from going to sleep.

"But, Mummy, I am not sleepy", whined little Matthew, causing Atlantis to scoop him up on her lap.

"_Matthew, but your animal friends are already sleeping. If you don't go to sleep now, they'll wake before you," Atlantis tried once again, only to receive a soft grumble from her little son._

"_Chickens go to sleep way too early," the child said in his defense causing Matthew to chuckle and almost choking on his food from the laughter. Atlantis shot him a look, pretending to be angry, but she couldn't hide the smile that showed up on her face._

"_What if I tell you a story?" Atlantis raised one eyebrow, taking a bite of her own meal. The kid fell quiet; his face showing that he was re-thinking his decision about staying up a bit longer. This offer was too tempting, he finally concluded and exclaimed, "Okay!" sending both grown ups into laughter. He joined them happily, laughing because they were laughing even though he didn't understand why they all laughed. But who cared? It felt good._

_Atlantis stood up first and helped her little son to wash his face. After she put his pajama on, she ushered him to go and brush his teeth before bedtime, and promising she'd prepare a story until he came back. _

_It was then when she realized she didn't have a clue where they would sleep, and the blood rushed into her face. She quickly busied herself with folding her son's clothes, but her facial expression wasn't missed by Matthew. As she came back toward the table to take away the dishes, he stopped her with placing his palm over her hand. She felt the electricity shooting through her body at that simple touch from him. She could feel his eyes piercing through her and seeing every part of her soul, and she knew that he guessed what she was thinking._

_As she felt him getting up from the chair, she nearly lost her balance. His closeness had magical effect on her; she'd never felt anything like the feelings Matthew woke up in her._

_His hand gently hugged her around her waist and leaning down, he softly kissed her hair. She closed her eyes as she felt him lingering with his lips on her hairline. Letting out a soft, silent sigh, she leaned her face on his chest and heard him saying, "I meant what I said, Atlantis. I would never take advantage of you."_

_He looked down at her and she lifted her head, trusting him completely. _

"_You and Matthew take the big bed. I'll sleep over there," he pointed with his head toward the bed that was Colleen's once, and where little Matthew slept when they'd just arrived at the homestead._

_Atlantis' eyes shone with love as she watched Matthew's face. "Thank you," she slightly rose on her toes and placed a soft, long kiss on Matthew's lips. "I love you," she whispered._

"_I love you too," Matthew smiled at her. _

"Hello, Dr. Mike, Sully," Atlantis' voice was heard from outside. Matthew creased his eyebrows as he stood up to see what's going on.

"Good day, Atlantis," Michaela nervously smiled. "Is Matthew around?" She barely finished the question when she saw her oldest son showing up on the doorstep.

"Dr. Mike, Sully," he greeted them with a nod.

"We have to talk." Michaela's anxiety was getting the better of her, and by the look on her face Matthew realized that it was something serious.

Atlantis noticed it too, and she said to her son to go to play and that she would call him for lunch. The little boy nodded and ran off with Sully's Wolf toward the small garden.

Matthew stepped down from the porch, suddenly getting concerned, "Dr. Mike?"

Michaela shared a worried look with Sully, rubbing her palm against the other palm. Sully nodded at her, and looking up at Matthew and Atlantis he said, "Matthew, we've found out something that could affect the whole case."

For some reason, panic started to rise up in Atlantis. Fear threatened to consume her as she heard what Sully just said. "What did you find out?" she heard her own voice ask, barely recognizing it; it was just a shivering echo.

The feeling of Matthew's hand around her waist calmed her down a bit.

"Well, I remembered something that Heart told me years ago, when you first arrived here," explained Michaela. "We didn't want to upset you before we were sure, so we did some investigation and…uhmmm… perhaps you should see it by yourself," she handed Atlantis a paper that looked like an article from the newspapers.

Atlantis took the paper with shivering fingers and looking down at it, she started to read

"A missing child

**A four year old girl named Atlantis Williams has gone missing. She was last seen in San Francisco. She wore a brown skirt and a green jacket. Her hair is brown and she has white gloves on her hands. Please, if you have any information, contact the local police station or press who would reach her parents…"**

By now, Atlantis breath had quickened up abnormally; it looked as if she fell into some state of shock. Her lungs fought for air, and her legs betrayed her.

"ATLANTIS!" Matthew caught her before she fell down on the ground. He sat down, holding her close.

Dr. Mike sprung into doctor mode and checked Atlantis' pulse, reflections and her eyes.

"She's in shock", mumbled Michaela. "We should get her to the clinic."

Picking Atlantis up in his arms, Matthew hurried toward the wagon while Sully went to search for little Matthew. As he laid Atlantis down in the back of the wagon, Matthew looked at Dr. Mike "What does this mean, Ma?"

Michaela swallowed hard. "We checked and… it seems that Atlantis was kidnapped as a child."

A dark shadow flashed over Matthew's face, Michaela could see the whole anger he felt at that moment toward Heart. "We better hurry into town."

By now, Sully was back and quickly jumped onto the front seat. By one click of his tongue he sent the horses into the gallop.

"Mummy?" Little Matthew crawled toward Atlantis who laid still, her eyes closed, her face completely blank. The child looked up at Matthew, being on the edge of tears.

The young man hugged him, "She'll be all right, Matthew. Don't worry."

As the little boy hid his little face in Matthew's jacket and quietly sobbed, Michaela watched as her son's face got a determined expression.

The battle for the truth was about to start.


	27. Chapter 27

Hi, everybody! Here I am, publishing new chapter after quite some time! Sorry for the wait, I had a major author's blockade about this – as I like to call it – transitison chapter. But, thankfully it's gone now! I hope that you will like this new chapter, reviews are always welcome! :) Chapter 27

The world was blurring in front of her heavy eyelids as Atlantis swallowed hard in an attempt to recover her strength. She was lying either on the bed or examination table, that much she could tell through the fog of her thoughts. The voices that surrounded her echoed in the distance.

The thoughts bumped into each other inside her head; it felt as if the painful drumming would never stop. She was unable to move yet she could feel everything. It was difficult to breathe normally as she recalled all the years of her life beside a woman she thought was her mother. How many times had she felt like she didn't belong under the same roof with Heart, how many times has she felt unprotected, ever since she was a child? There weren't any baby photographs of her or favorite toys or the first blanket… Now she knew why. Now everything made sense…and nothing made sense at all.

The reaction hit her without a warning, and it was a surprising one for herself. Instead of tears and fear creeping up her spine, Atlantis felt anger boiling inside her veins. It pushed so strong through her entire body that in the next second she was on her feet, storming out of the clinic, startling everybody around her. Matthew and Dr. Mike's voices barely reached her ears as she ran toward the jail.

Hank looked up when the doors slammed open. He was surprised to see Heart's daughter Atlantis, but before he could react or even stand up from the chair, the young woman stormed toward the cell and started to yell.

"HOW COULD YOU? ALL THESE YEARS YOU LIED TO ME, USED ME FOR GETTING MONEY AND YOU NEVER GAVE ANYTHING IN RETURN, JUST TOOK EVERYTHING I GOT! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?"

Heart's face was white like a sheet as she watched Atlantis, but she tried to remain calm as she coldly replied, "I always wanted to do what's best for you, nothing else. And this is how you pay me back?"

Atlantis couldn't believe her ears. Her fists clenched tight, her teeth gritted and she could feel the blood running faster through her veins. In a blink of an eye, she reached the cell and before Hank or Matthew could stop her, she started to kick the bars screaming, "DAMN YOU! HOW COULD YOU? I TRUSTED YOU!"

"What the heck is going on here?" Hank interfered, taking Atlantis' hands of the cell bars.

Matthew caught her, encircling his hands around her waist as Atlantis screamed at Heart, "HOW COULD YOU TAKE ME AWAY FROM MY FAMILY?

All the color disappeared from Heart's cheeks and she held on the iron bars, stammering, "What…how….how..."

She glared icily at Matthew, "How does she know that?"

Hank looked stunned with what he'd just heard and looked at Matthew, too.

"Atlantis," Matthew's voice reached through the anger at Atlantis' consciousness, and she flinched at hearing her name. As her eyes met Matthew's he simply said, "Let's go."

Atlantis didn't protest. Her head fell onto his chest and loud sobs erupted from her. Pulling her closer, Matthew held her tighter, and he and Hank shared a nod that meant that they would talk later.

As they started to walk away Heart mumbled again, "How does she know?"

Matthew could feel Atlantis shivering in his arms and he just ran his palm over her upper arm, not letting her face Heart again. Never again, he promised to himself. As long as he was around, he would never allow Heart to come close to Atlantis. Never again.

"How does she know?" Heart screamed after them, completely losing her self-control.

Yet Hank only slammed the door of the jail shut behind Atlantis and Matthew, yelling "Shut up!"

As Heart gasped, Hank came closer toward the cell adding, "I suggest you sit down and be quiet before you say something you will regret even more."

"You fool!" yelled Atlantis' husband, causing Hank to kick at the bars, growling, "That means both of you! Shut up!"

When the prisoners fell silent, Hank sat down on the chair, put his legs up on the table crossing them. He played with the jail keys, mumbling, "Some birds you are…"

The road back toward the clinic was the longest way Atlantis ever took. Just the warmth of Matthew's hands around her waist reminded her that she still existed, otherwise she felt as if everything inside her had died.

Her whole life turned out to be a lie… Memories stumbled across each other inside her head, and it hurt so much. Hiding her face in Matthew's shoulder, Atlantis rubbed her hurting forehead, unaware of the tears that never stopped falling down her cheeks.

The shock was so intense; she couldn't believe that she actually had a Mum and a Dad who cared for her. Atlantis felt bitterness tightening her throat as she realized how many years had passed since that article that Dr. Mike had showed her was published…Could they still be alive?

They - her real parents. Tears crushed her once again as the realization of what Heart had taken from her set in.

"I'm here, Atlantis," Matthew's soft voice reached her, causing her to quietly sob and hold on his hand tightly.

They had reached the meadow in the meantime. Matthew felt Atlantis slowing down until they stopped behind the church. He looked down at her; her face was wet from the tears, and she stared at the forest in front of them. He traced his fingers down her cheeks, brushing away the wetness, gentle as a breeze. Atlantis swallowed hard. Still staring at the woods, she murmured, "I wish I would just disappear."

"I know," Matthew whispered in her hair, his hands encircling her waist as he stood behind her.

Atlantis took in a shivering breath, her palms resting on Matthew's hands as she shook her head, "What have I done to deserve this?"

Matthew softly kissed her hair before he silently replied, "There's no answer to such questions. I had to learn that myself." Atlantis slowly turned in his arms and looked in his eyes, swallowing once again when the man she loved added, "So I stopped asking myself why Ethan left and why my Ma died."

Atlantis gently caressed Matthew's cheek, getting lost in his sapphire blue eyes. "Does the pain ever go away?"she whispered.

Matthew inhaled a deep breath. "No. Never. You just learn to live with it, I guess."

Atlantis shook her head, "How can I, Matthew? How can I live with the knowledge that my whole life was one huge lie?"

Tears glistened in her eyes again and she closed them, trying to stop the sobs. Matthew leaned down and hugging her more tightly, he gently kissed her eyelids, "Cry it all out, honey. It is still way too soon for you. Just let it all out."

As sobs erupted from Atlantis' throat and she hid her face in Matthew's chest, he rocked her slowly in his embrace. "I'm here, Atlantis. I'm here."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The clock ticked, echoing in Atlantis' head as she sat on a chair in the clinic and listened to Dr. Mike and Sully talking about what they found out.

From what Dr. Mike told her, it seemed that they didn't learn much about her parents. Perhaps it was because of the lack of the time, or maybe they weren't sure how much she wanted to know. The world had blurred before her eyes again as new tears ran down her cheeks and slowly dropped on the article she still held in her hands.

The paper was old, turned into yellow from the time that had passed since the day she was taken away from her parents. She swallowed hard, holding tightly on this piece of her past wondering if it would also be there in the future…were her parents still alive? How would they react if she'd just show up on their doorstep? Had they stopped hoping? Did they move on? Questions bombarded her mind, and she hid her face in her hands.

"Where do I go from here?" the three of them heard her whisper. Atlantis shook her head, mumbling through tears, "I don't know where to go from here…"

Michaela shared a worried look with Matthew and Sully.

"Where do you want to go from here, Atlantis?" Mike softly asked, reaching out and softly caressing Atlantis' hair.

As the young woman lifted her head, Mike's heart broke at seeing the pain flickering in Atlantis' eyes.

Atlantis watched as Dr. Mike took her palms into her hands, and she swallowed hard, trying to stop the sobs that kept escaping her.

"I don't know, Dr. Mike." Her whispers were barely audible. "I don't know…"

"Would you like to meet your parents? To find them?"Mike asked, but a gentle touch from Sully's hand on her shoulder told her not to push. Atalntis was very close to breaking down.

Sully was right; in the next moment Atlantis hid her face once again in her hands and cried without a sound.

The whole time, Matthew was sitting beside Atlantis, holding her in his embrace and listened to everything that was said…contemplating every single word.

He was sure that one day Atlantis would be ready to face her past and meet her parents…But the shock, the betrayal, the pain and the anger she felt now was something that shouldn't be ignored. Atlantis needed to heal before she could make that big step and go search for her family.

"She isn't ready for that yet." Suddenly Matthew's voice was heard and Mike and Sully looked at their oldest son. He was right.

"What then?" Mike felt devastated "How can we help?"

Matthew looked at Sully "Do you know where Cloud Dancing is now?"

Sully nodded, "I could find him."

"All right, then do so, please," said Matthew, causing Atlantis to shift inside his arms and look at him, confused.

"Cloud Dancing?" she silently asked.

Matthew nodded, "He's a Cheyenne medicine man and a family friend. He will help you through this."

When Atlantis tried to protest, Matthew stopped her gently saying, "Trust me on this. I will explain everything on our way home."

Atlantis didn't understand a thing of all this, but if she was sure of anything at this moment when her whole world crashed, it was Matthew's love. She trusted him completely.

So she just nodded silently uttering , "Okay." She closed her eyelids feeling Matthew's lips on her forehead, and a sense of comfort washed over her.

"I'll go find Cloud Dancing," said Sully and was gone the next moment.

Matthew tenderly caressed Atlantis' back and quietly said, "Come on, let's go home."

Dr. Mike watched them leaving and inhaled a deep breath, hoping with every part of her heart that Cloud Dancing would be able to help Atlantis.

Atlantis was sitting on the bench in front of the homestead, holding little Matthew in her lap. She and Matthew had had a long talk with the child, and Atlantis was devastated to leave her baby. His tears ripped her heart, but she knew that she had no choice. She had to find the way through this if she wanted to live a normal life. That much she knew; that much she could understand about this whole mess.

Sitting now, she slowly rocked her little son as he clutched to her, tears already dried on both of their faces. Words unspoken echoed in their ears. Her beloved child wanted to go with her on this trip, but from Matthew's words she understood that she had to go alone. Little Matthew calmed down a bit when he herad that he would stay with Matthew, but the sadness because of approaching goodbye hit both of them. So they just sat there together on the bench, watching the sun slowly fading away from the sky.

Matthew was sitting beside them, one of his hands wrapped around Atlantis' shoulders and the other one holding little Matthew's hand. The little boy held onto him as if for dear life ever since his Ma had said that she had to go away for a few days. At first, little Matthew tried to convince Matthew to tell his Ma to drop her plan, knowing she would listen to him. But not this time. His little heart broke, and he wished the sun came back to the sky and that those "dancing clouds" never showed up.

As the sun hid behind the hills and the sky put on its nightgown, they heard horses approach. Looking up, Matthew saw Sully and Cloud Dancing riding toward them.

Atlantis still avoided her eyes, but she knew that they were here. She could hear the horses catching their breath as they stopped in fornt of the homestead, and she desperately tried to swallow the sob that rose up in her throat as little Matthew held more tightly onto her.

She didn't want to leave her son and even though she trusted Matthew, she was scared to ride off in the night with somebody she'd never seen before. She didn't need that right now, she didn't need strangers around her.

She kissed her son's hair, re-thinking the whole thing. She didn't feel ready. She wasn't sure this would help. She didn't know whether she could do that. Ready to protest, she at last she looked up.

As she did so, her eyes met Cloud Dancing's wise and friendly eyes for the first time.

And she felt peace.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

She blinked; her eyes stopped on Matthew's face. Tonight, they were shining with his love for her.

Her palm caressed his cheek and as his fingers covered hers, she whispered, "Take care of him for me, please."

Matthew nodded, gently kissing the inside of her palm. She sadly smiled at him and the next moment, she kneeled down to face her son. Her little boy was quiet, but the tears in his eyes spoke volumes.

"Come here, baby," Atlantis whispered and as her child rushed into her embrace, she literally felt her heart break in two. She held her little sweetheart tightly, unable to let go. She was sure from the first moment her eyes met Cloud Dancing's that Matthew was right. She had to go. But how could she leave her baby? How would her baby cope without her?

It was Cloud Dancing's hand that touched her shoulder gently that brought her back from her thoughts. She stood up lifting her little sunshine with her, and looked at the friendly dark eyes of Cheyenne medicine man.

"Your son will be all right. Don't worry. This time, you're leaving him in good hands."

The wise words reached her, and Atlantis felt her breath catch in her throat. How did he know what was eating on her?

Cloud Dancing's eyes stopped on the little boy's face and he gently smiled at him when he explained, "I know this is hard. I know that you're giving me somebody you love the most, so I want to be fair. I will give you something I treasure the most, all right?"

When the boy's eyes watched him curiously now instead of angrily, Cloud Dancing took off his necklace and for a second just stared at it. Swallowing hard, he handed it over to the child in Atlantis' arms. "This belonged to my son, Walks on Clouds. It is all I have left from him."

Little Matthew looked quizzically from Cloud Dancing's face to necklace. Touching the necklace with his little fingers, he asked, "Where is your son?"

Pain clouded Cloud Dancing's face for a moment, but he managed to reply, "He's with the Spirits now. Along with his mother."

"Means that he's in Heaven, Sweetie," whispered Atlantis.

For a moment, silence took over as little Matthew looked right into Cloud Dancing's eyes, his small fingers gently caressing the necklace. Then he nodded, quietly saying, "I'll look after it for you…And you look after my Mommy."

Cloud Dancing sadly smiled at the child and nodded, "All right, my little friend."

Atlantis gently kissed her son's soft hair, whispering, "I love you, Sweetheart."

For a few seconds, mother and son just held each other.

"It's time to go," Cloud Dancing softly spoke.

Swallowing her tears, Atlantis handed her child to Matthew and looking up at Cloud Dancing she nodded, whispering, "I'm ready."

Sully came over, giving the reins to Cloud Dancing. His Indian brother took them and simply said, "This night, we will walk with the horse."

Atlantis shared one final look with Matthew and her son before she moved forward until she reached the horse and Cloud Dancing. With her palm caressing the horse's neck, she counted her steps, going deeper into the forest, letting the silence of the night calm her senses.

Long after Atlantis, Cloud Dancing and the horse disappeared into the wood, Matthew stood still, gently rocking Atlantis' son in his arms. The child leaned his cheek on his shoulder and Matthew knew that a little one was struggling not to cry.

Sully was with them for few more minutes, and then he looked at Matthew, "You can come to our place tonight if you want."

"Thanks, Sully." Matthew shook his head, "We'll be fine."

The two men shared a look and Sully understood. "Good night then."

Atlantis walked beside the horse, taking in the comfortable silence. It gave her space and time to think everything through, to take in everything that had happened.

Cloud Dancing glanced at the young woman that walked next to him. He knew that she was troubled, that she had a lot on her plate, but it looked that for a moment now, she had found peace.

When they at last reached their destination he stopped.

"We will rest here," he simply said and instantly started to make a fire.

He was aware that Atlantis didn't move. Looking up, he saw her still standing beside the horse. At first, it would look like she was motionless. But even in the dark the wise eyes of the Cheyenne medicine man saw the tears that suddenly showed up in Atlantis' eyes.

He simply gestured to her with his hand, saying, "Come, child."

As she hesitantly came over and sat down next to him, he held her hand. Giving it a friendly squeeze, he said in a comforting voice, "The Spirits have shown me that you suffered from major betrayals lately."

Staring at the fire that grew stronger by the minute, Atlantis just broke down and cried. It took some time before she managed to mumble a few words.

"She lied to me. My whole life. She made my life a living hell and yet I tolerated everything until my baby was born. Then I started to protest, not for my sake but for my son's."

"There's no greater love than a mother's love," Cloud Dancing carefully said, knowing that this would hit a nerve.

He was right.

Atlantis wiped her cheeks furiously, "I never knew that. And who knows, I might never find out what it feels like to be loved this way. Even if my mother is still alive, I am a complete stranger to her. They probably moved on, they have a new family… I would be just an intruder…" At this point her voice trailed off, drowning in tears.

"Some things in our lifetime happen that we never understand," Cloud Dancing said. "But no matter how far away from the mother a child is, this special bond is unbreakable."

Atlantis fell silent; she didn't know what to say. The anger, the sadness and the pain overwhelmed her, making it impossible for her to utter one single word. She knew that Cloud dancing was partly right – there was no greater love than a mother's love. She would die for her son; that was one of the few things in her life she was sure of.

Cloud Dancing watched the inner struggle that Atlantis fought; it was written all over her face.

He knew that they should do only one step a time. If he pressed too much now, she would break down, slide into darkness from where would be no return for her.

"Try to sleep now. You need to rest for tomorrow," he said and Atlantis looked at him quizzically.

"Tomorrow?"

Cloud Dancing nodded. "Your spirit is unbalanced and not in tune with your body. Tomorrow, you will go on a vision quest."

Atlantis was confused, she didn't understand one single word that this man said, yet she fully trusted him. Calming down, she felt how exhausted she actually was. The sleep soothed her senses even before her head touched the ground. Unaware of the world around her, she fell into a deep slumber, not hearing Cloud Dancing's silent chanting.

A coyote's howling in the distance caused little Matthew to gasp with fear. He sat in his bed, looking around, his eyes wide open and his little heart thumping faster.

The room was dark except for the candle on the table. It stood by the piles of the books, and his gaze traveled along them until it reached the familiar face.

"Matthew?" the little boy whispered, his voice trembling.

Matthew looked up from the law book he was reading and saw Atlantis' son sitting straight up in the bed, his face pale with anguish. It was in the next few seconds that the child's chin started to quiver. Matthew quickly got up from the chair and rushed toward the crying little boy.

He barely managed to sit down when little Matthew already clutched on his right hand, sobbing in fear.

"Hey, hey," Matthew whispered. "What's the matter? Did you have a bad dream?"

"A wolf," the child's shivering voice was heard and Matthew realized what's wrong.

He also heard the coyote's howling, but he didn't pay any attention to it since he was used to that sound around here. But, it was obvious and logical that the child was terrified by it, plus his Mum was gone.

He hugged the frightened child and gently caressed his soft brown hair, "Don't be scared; the coyotes won't hurt you. I won't let them."

As the little one continued to cry, Matthew held him tighter. "Sssshhhh, it's okay, don't be afraid. I'm here, Matthew, and your Ma will be home soon."

As those words were over Matthew's lips, he felt the little boy lifting his head and looking up at him. Matthew looked down at the child's big brown eyes, which were identical to Atlantis's.

"Promise?" little Matthew whispered.

Matthew softly smiled. "I promise." He gently kissed little boy's hair,

He continued gently rocking the crying child into a peaceful slumber. As the sobs drifted off and the little boy's breathing calmed down, Matthew decided to finish his work for today. His books would have to wait; Atlantis' son needed him more. And he was determined to be there for the little one. Like a father should be there for his child.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

A bird's song woke Atlantis from her slumber. She blinked against the morning sun as she slowly sat up. It was warm and comfy even though she had been sleeping under the sky.

"Good morning," Cloud Dancing's voice was heard. She looked up at Cheyenne medicine man and replied, "Good morning, Cloud Dancing."

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, sitting down beside her and adding more wood to the fire.

"I can't remember when it was the last time that I slept so soundly," whispered Atlantis. "Thanks," she added, accepting a bowl with food from him.

Cloud Dancing smiled, happy to see Atlantis more at ease. He knew that she had a long way to go, but this was a good start.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the fire and then Atlantis decided to ask what was on her mind since last night, "What's a vision quest?"

Cloud Dancing took one more sip of his tea before he looked at her and started to explain, "A vision quest will join your body and soul again. It will help you find your way."

"What do I have to do?"

"Just sit down and try to connect with yourself. We will put you in the circle. You have to be alone there, for few days, but nothing can harm you when you are in the circle. You will listen to the animals; they will tell you if something is wrong. The coyote can tell you that someone is coming."

Atlantis' eyes widened in fear, "Coyote?"

A small smile lifted the corners of Cloud Dancing's lips as he remembered who else reacted this way a few years ago.

"What if it rains?" Atlantis asked.

"You will stay in the circle."

Atlantis contemplated what was said to her: to sit all alone for days, allowing who knows what kind of beasts and people coming closer and she wasn't allowed to move…to be soaked wet if it rained.

She shook her head, "I'm not so sure about this."

Another similar reply was here. Cloud Dancing could see now that Atlantis and Matthew were meant for each other. "You won't be alone. I will be close by, watching that nothing will happen to you."

Surprisingly, these words calmed down Atlantis' nerves. She watched as Cloud Dancing took something out of his bag and handed it over to her. It was an Indian dress.

"This was my wife's dress she wore at the ceremonies. Wear that in the circle, and Snow Bird's spirit will also watch over you."

Before these words were said, Atlantis admired the material and the way the dress was made and decorated. But hearing what Cloud Dancing said she looked up, surprised. She'd heard about Cloud Dancing from Colleen and Matthew and knew very well that his tribe was massacred at Washita, and among those people was also his wife, Snow Bird. She knew that Cloud Dancing and Live In Hopes were the only survivors. She knew that the medicine man was alone since that day, and she couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he was feeling because he lost his family.

And now, he was giving her his wife's ceremonial dress to protect her during her vision quest. That kind of goodness caused Atlantis' soul to shiver and her eyes filled with tears. "Cloud Dancing, I can't accept this."

"Yes, you can and you have to. While you are away, my son's necklace is in the hands of your son. Walks On Clouds' spirit will protect your son and Snow Bird's spirit will protect you. That is the way it should be so you can find your way back to your son and Matthew."

At hearing Matthew's name, Atlantis felt her blood rising into her cheeks and she quickly looked down at the beautiful dress. Nodding, she whispered, "Thank you."

And with those words, she was ready to go on a vision quest.

Matthew stepped into Horace's office and looked around. "Horace?"

The tall man showed up behind the counter, "Matthew, what can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering: did any telegrams arrive?" asked Matthew, holding his gloves tighter with his fingers.

"Still nothing, Matthew," Horace said. "I'll let you know as soon as I get something."

"Thanks, Horace, I appreciate that," said Matthew, letting out a small frustrated breath. It was four days already since he sent the telegram; he was hoping that by now he would get an answer…

_But, twenty years is long time, _he thought.

He waved his goodbye to Horace and stepped outside.

_Maybe they still haven't seen the notice in the newspapers. Perhaps he should send another one._

He went toward the church, deciding to take a walk. Little Matthew was with family Sully at Grace's Café, having lunch.

His steps took him across the small bridge and he stopped on the meadow, looking up at the hills…He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

_I hope that you're feeling better, Atlantis._

Atlantis looked around herself, her fingers taking a stronger hold on the bear's fur she was sitting on. Three days had passed without a sound or some animal or man coming closer. Last night, the sky had opened and it rained like it would never stop. For a moment, she wanted to give up, but something didn't allow her to do that.

She was soaked wet, yet it was good to feel the rain on her face. It felt like it washed away all the tears and worries from her skin. Well, almost…

She fell asleep at dawn, covering herself with the fur. She didn't know how long she had been sleeping when a growl woke her. She gasped in fear as she recognized the sound of a mountain lion.

Frantically, she looked around. Nothing. She started to relax, thinking it had just been a dream when she heard a growl from the other bush. Gasping she turned there. Still nothing.

Then, all of a sudden, the earth started to vibrate beneath her.

She was pale with fear. Nothing was to be seen, yet a feeling of unease and panic rose up inside of her.

_Nothing can harm you when you're in the circle._

"Cloud Dancing?" she wanted to call for him, yet it just came out as a whisper.

And before she could open her mouth and try again, her eyes widened with horror as she saw what was coming towards her.

A herd of horses. A stampede. The earth felt like it would crack. They were running straight toward her.

She tried to move, but for some reason she couldn't. Panic and fear consumed her as she watched the horses coming closer and closer toward her.

Only a few meters away now… She gasped in fear and closed her eyes, shielding them with her hands.

But instead of darkness behind her eyelids she saw a fog… and the face of her son as he ran around Matthew's homestead, chasing the chickens and shrieking with laughter… She was totally unaware of the smile that showed up on her lips.

And then she saw Matthew's face.

_I hope that you're feeling better, Atlantis._

An eagle cried above her head, high in the sky, and Atlantis opened her eyes. She was alone on the sunny meadow. No horses, no earthquake.

Just herself.

And she was ready to go home. Back to her son… and to love of her life.

"You're ready now," she heard Cloud Dancing's voice. She stood up and turned around, surprised to see her friend.

He helped her to step out from the circle and when she did, Atlantis whispered, "I don't know how to thank you."

Cloud Dancing softly smiled, placing his hand on Atlantis' shoulder, "No need to thank me. It was Matthew's love that led you through this. You don't know this, but years ago, Matthew was on the vision quest and you just had exactly the same vision as he had."

Atlantis' eyes widened in surprise, "I did?"

Cloud Dancing nodded, "Yes. The rain, a mountain lion's growl, waking you up, the stampede of horses, the earthquake."

For a moment, Atlantis was totally confused. _How does he know all this? I didn't tell him about my vision._

"The spirits have shown me that Matthew's love will lead you through this. And your love for him and your son. It was their faces that snapped you out. The people you love will stay beside you through every heartache. You saw that just as Matthew did. That is why you two are meant to be with each other."

Atlantis swallowed her tears, her heart thumping faster.

Matthew closed the door of the house, slowly so as to not wake up little Matthew. He grabbed a bucket with water and went toward the barn to give it to the horses. He caressed the horse's neck as his faithful companion drank and then began to unsaddle him. And as the saddle hit the fence, he heard the barn door opening. Turning around, he felt a stone falling of his chest.

"Atlantis," he whispered, rushing toward her. She flew in his open arms and hugged him tightly around his shoulders. Matthew closed his eyes, sending a prayer of gratitude that she came back to him.

They would get over every obstacle on their way… She was back.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

For several moments, Atlantis just closed her eyes, exhaling deeply in relief. Warmth radiated through her body from Matthew's closeness and she buried her face in his neck, listening to his heartbeat.

His hair brushed against her cheek as he tightened his hold on her. He could feel her warm breath on his neck and his lips gently kissed her hair. That simple touch caused Atlantis to move in his embrace. He leaned down, searching for her lips and she willingly accepted it, her right palm caressing his neck. His lips felt heavenly on her lips and she silently moaned, getting lost in his love for her.

"I missed you so much", she managed to whisper as his lips caressed the soft skin of her neck.

As he kissed the line of her jaw, her eyelids fluttered and she whispered his name "Matthew…", only to be interrupted by another kiss and she pulled him closer to her, needing to feel his touch. Her lips slowly opened and she nearly lost her balance, moaning in passion as his tongue lovingly explored her mouth. Her legs shivered and she would have fallen if he hadn't been holding her tightly in his embrace.

Having a life of their own, her hands roamed down his shirt and within a few seconds her trembling fingers sneaked under the material. As her palms touched his warm skin, their kiss broke for a moment because of his silent, heated moan. His eyes turned into dark blue as she looked up at him, their minds clouded with a passion.

"I love you," she heard him whisper as her fingertips caressed his bare back.

She knew that they had to stop before this got too far, but she didn't know whether she had the strength to do that. Not when he was kissing her like this, her breath mixed with his.

"I love you too," she barely finished the sentence when his lips kissed hers again. She could feel his fingers slowly caressing her back, then her shoulders and then he stopped…pulled away from her, both of them breathing heavily. She knew it, he knew it – they had to stop. But, they didn't want that.

"I'm sorry," after few moments, his quiet voice was heard as he leaned his forehead against her forehead.

Atlantis let out few short, quick breaths.

"Don't be, Matthew. I want this too…But…" She looked in his eyes and received a gentle smile from the man she loved unconditionally.

"We should stop," he finished for her and she smiled at him.

Feeling his lips gently kissing her brow, Atlantis closed her eyes. Then she allowed Matthew to pull her against his side, and as she laid her face on his shoulder, they left the barn.

The day was sunny, a bit cold but still pleasant. The sun was shining from the cloudless sky and it looked like it would be a nice day although it was December.

Atlantis was up early. The trial was starting tomorrow, but somehow she was calmer about it now. The vision quest had definitely helped her. She accepted what had happened. Still, it hurt like a hell, but she found the strength to live with it every day.

It isn't easy when you found out that your whole life has been a lie. Atlantis was well aware of that. In the pieces of her memory, she tried to remember the earliest days of her childhood. It was all so very foggy. She could neither remember her real parents nor whether she had siblings or not.

For how far her memory went back she remembered only the life with the circus and how people treated her because of her webbed fingers. She remembered how many times Heart had tried to assure her that she was special because she was different. That was another lie, she knew that now. She hadn't been of any use to Heart if her hands were normal. She was a freak show, as Heart told Dr Mike, and that brought money. People paid to see strange people and strange things. That was what Heart had been going for. She brought her money with her ugliness – that's why she was special to Heart.

Taking a deep breath in, Atlantis continued to do the laundry, looking behind the homestead to the road that led to the forest. The wind was picking up slowly and a few strays of her long brown hair were falling on her face. Smiling, she pushed them away. The past was past. If she wanted to stay sane, she had to close this part of her life, put a full stop on her life with Heart and try to look forward to tomorrow.

Now, that was possible.

"Mummy!"

Her smile widened as she heard her son's happy voice. She turned around and kneeled down as her beloved baby boy ran into her arms.

"My baby," she whispered as her child clung to her. "Oh, honey, I missed you so much!" She kissed his soft hair as the tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks.

When she came home last night, her son was already fast asleep and she didn't want to wake him. Instead, she just sat on the edge of his bed and let her tears roll down her cheeks at the sight of her little sleeping angel.

_Her fingers gently caressed the sleeping child's hair, careful so as to not wake him up. _

"_Don't worry, he was fine," she heard Matthew's whisper. "We went fishing, riding horses, feeding chickens. Tried to keep him busy. In the evening he was so tired that he would fall asleep while I was carrying him to the bed. That way he didn't have time to cry. Still, we talked about you a lot."_

_Atlantis swallowed hard, looking at Matthew. "Thank you," her voice came out as a whisper and those two simple words held so much more than just a thank to Matthew for watching over her son while she was gone. She knew that without Matthew, her little darling would never recover. His scars were way too deep and she wished that she could take each of them on herself so that her baby didn't have to have the awful memories about his childhood spent with his biological father and Heart._

She caressed her son's hair, pulling away and before she kissed his cheek.

"Let me look at you", she said, the smile never leaving her lips. "Where did you get that hat?" she chuckled.

"Matthew bought it for me. He and Mr. Bray tried so many different hats on me, Mummy, it was so funny, they were all huge!"giggled little Matthew, his laughter echoing in Atlantis' heart as the most beautiful song.

She laughed as well and the little boy hugged her again. She closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of the baby shampoo from her son's hair.

"Are you all right now, Mummy? You won't leave again?"

Hearing such an obvious fear in her son's voice created a lump in Atlantis' throat. "Sweetheart, Mummy will never leave you again."

As a response to that, little Matthew hugged her even more and Atlantis held her little son tightly.

Matthew was watching this scene from the stairs, smiling. He didn't want to break this moment so he just leaned against the wall and waited. His heart warmed up to the scene in front of him. Atlantis was such a wonderful mother; her son worshiped the ground she walked on.

'_How time flies!'_ he thought as he went downstairs toward the two of them. He still remembered Atlantis when he saw her for the first time. A young girl, a performer in a circus, but still so unsure of herself. Closed out because of her difference, yet able to love somebody…to love him. A girl who never knew how it was like when someone makes you feel special… A girl whose smile shone like a thousand stars on the evening sky as he talked to her before the show…

**"**Listen, um, if I said or did anything…"

**"**You didn't do anything. It was just my own mixed up way of thinking."

**"** Well, I just wanted to say if I wasn't, you know, engaged I would truly be honored to have someone as special as you to like me."

And he watched her now; a grown up woman, a caring mother to her son - a son that she'd named after him - and a woman who showed him that he could still be happy in this life. She had pulled him out of the bottomless hole he was falling in, a hole of sadness that Ingrid had left behind her and a hole of emptiness that Emma had deepened.

Atlantis had sneaked inside of his heart and he hadn't even notice it. She had healed every part of it with her loving smile and the deep care for him. She was the only person in his life he confided in about Ethan. She was the only person that talked with him about Ingrid whom he hadn't snapped at. She was the only one who made him feel like he could live without pain again.

She was the only one who could make him walk on the wires of life, no matter how high and dangerous they were.

"Ready to go?" he called out, smiling as he saw little Matthew happily nod and Atlantis' confused face.

"Go where?" she asked and he went toward her. Encircling her shoulders with his hand, he showed her the fishing tool and smiled, "Fishing."

Atlantis looked up at him. Her world became so simple and good when he was around her.

"I'd like that very much", she said smiling happily.

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and she closed her eyes sending a prayer of thanks to God for bringing Matthew back into her life. She was ready to face all the evils of this world as long as he was beside her.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The streets of Colorado Springs were busy that particular morning. People were passing by, some of them going for a stroll, others picking up something at Mr. Bray's store or going to the Gold Nugget for a drink. Kids played close to the Gazette, and at Grace's was the usual commotion as it was time for breakfast. Sounds of hammering could be heard from the livery mixing with people's talk and children's giggles from the street. It looked like it was just another ordinary day in Colorado Springs.

Taking all this in as she walked toward the school house, Atlantis slowly went across the bridge, looking down at the water that ran under it. This wasn't an ordinary day - not for her.

Today, the trial was starting. A trial that would change her life forever. A trial that would reveal secrets of the past, maybe even bring her back to her real parents, maybe even siblings if she had any. A trial that would take her on a road she didn't know where it was leading.

But she wasn't afraid. Not anymore. The simple hold of Matthew's palm in her hand and the calmness that her vision quest had brought to her made her strong enough to go up the few steps and open school door. She was ready to face her enemies.

The school house was already filled with some people as she and Matthew stepped inside, his hand never leaving hers silently letting her know that he was there beside her during all this. She looked at him and he softly smiled to encourage her as they sat down. She managed to smile back.

In that moment, the door opened and Hank showed up, leading Heart and Paul, both in handcuffs, in giving the young man a push. "Move, I ain't got the whole day," murmured Hank, smirking.

Atlantis looked up, her fingers instinctively tightening their hold onto Matthew's hand and he gave it a soft squeeze to calm her nerves. She received a look of pure accusation from Heart and hatred from Paul. She didn't even blink. Her heart was peaceful; she only wanted to get over with this.

"All rise for the presiding honorable judge James Harrisson," the bailiff shouted.

"Please, be seated." Looking down at the papers, judge Harrisson said, "In the case the people against Paul Johnson and Heart Phillips filed under the case file number 1514 by the Statute of Law in the criminal cases the prosecutor Mr. Matthew Cooper will now state his case against the accused Paul Johnson and Heart Phillips."

Matthew got up from his chair and looked over at Heart and Paul. He could literally feel the poisoned arrows they sent at him, but he didn't even blink.

"Heart Phillips, you are accused of kidnapping a four-year-old child, using her to make money and later pay off a debt to Paul Johnson who worked with you by making her marrying him. Also, you were helping her husband Paul Johnson in keeping her and her child under poor living conditions where he physically abused them. Then you tried to jeopardize her life and the life of her son by let him know of their whereabouts that almost cost their lives."

This said Matthew glared at Paul. "Paul Johnson, you're accused of physically abusing your wife Atlantis and son Matthew, not only by beating them but you also attempted to murder your wife several times." Matthew glanced at the jury, then at the judge.

"May the accused ones arise," the judge's voice was heard.

As Heart, Paul and their lawyer stood up, the judge asked. "Do the accused ones understand the indictment?"

"The defendants understand the indictment and charges against them," said the lawyer.

"How do you plead?" asked judge Harisson, glaring at Paul and Heart.

"The defendants Heart Phillips and Paul Johnson plead not guilty, your Honour," replied lawyer.

The judge nodded, "Very well. Sit down."

Turning toward Matthew he said, "Mr. Cooper, you may start."

"Thank you, your Honour," Matthew responded, getting up.

Atlantis' was being transferred into eyes as she focused on Matthew while he walked toward the jury.

"Good morning, ladies and gentleman," Matthew greeted them, looking up at the faces of the people in front of him. "I'll get right to the point of this case," he promised as he unfolded a paper in his hand and showed it to the jury. "This is the first evidence that I will bring to this court about this case. It's an article the biological parents of my client published years ago when their child was kidnapped. It says '_A four-year-old girl named Atlantis Williams has gone missing. She was last seen in San Francisco. She wore a brown skirt and a green jacket. Her hair is brown and she has white gloves on her hands. Please, if you have any information, contact the local police station or the press who would reach her parents."_

Matthew walked towrad the judge and placed the article on his table, „Proof number one, your Honour. This article was published two days after Atlantis Williams was gone and…»

Suddenly, Heart's voice chimed in, „She ain't no Williams! She's a Phillips, my daughter!»

Ignoring the judge's warning, Heart jumped up from the chair and tried to rush toward Atlantis, but Hank stepped in her way and held her tightly. Still, Heart continued to yell, «How can you lie so horribly, Atlantis? I gave you everything…»

«ORDER!», Judge Harrison banged his gavel.

Colleen panicked, she thought that her friend wuld break down. But what she saw surprised her.

Atlantis peacefully looked up at the furious Heart and icily replied, «You gave me nothing.»

Heart's eyes nearly popped out from her head and she started to yell, but the judge's voice was louder now. He turned toward her lawyer, «Mr. Stevenson, calm your client down!»

While the lawyer tried to talk some sense into Heart, the judge looked at Matthew and nodded at him, «Mr. Cooper, continue.»

«Thank you, your Honour», said Matthew and turned back toward the jury. As silence fell over the crowd in the school house, Matthew glanced at Atlantis and started to talk.

«Atlantis Willaims was just a child when she was taken away from her family. She found out the truth only a few days ago. All these years, her family was probably trying to find her, but without success. Heart Phillps saw an opportunity to earn some money on a child's behalf.»

Matthew placed few papers on the judge's desk saying, «These are medical documents by Dr. Michaela Quinn who did a surgery on Miss Williams' hands. She had webbed fingers and that made her an opportunity for Mrs. Phillips to show her to the world in a circus and earn money on behalf of her deformity. Dr. Quinn, however, managed to fix Miss Williams' hands a few years ago.»

Turning back towrad the judge, Matthew continued, «When Miss Williams grew up, Mrs. Phillips forced her into marrying Mr. Johnson and did nothing when he endangered her life several times and nearly killed her and their child.»

Matthew's forehed wrinkled and he looked at the jury. «Ladies and gentlemen, memebers of the jury. Atlantis Williams went through hell during her pregnancy. Her husband beat her brutally and the baby survived only by a miracle. Later on, Miss Williams got gravely sick with pneumonia and nearly died of it. All that time, Mrs. Phillips was making her believe that she would help her to run away from her abusive husband, but every time when they would settle down in some place, she would send a telegraph to Mr. Johnson about there whereabouts, enabling him to find them over and over again so he could continue hurting his wife and son. Here is a proof for that.» He placed another paper on the judge's desk, explaining, «This is a telegraph that Mr. Horace Bing sent on behalf of Mrs. Phillips' request to Mr. Johnson relieving that they are in Colorado Springs.»

Matthew looked at the jury. For a moment, he allowed the silence to linger and then he continued, «Atlantis' son is four years old now. At that age, she was kidnapped from her family, from parents who loved her dearly. Her childhood was over when she was four years old. I am asking you today, please, don't let another childhood end too early. Let that little boy grow up happily, surrounded by the people who love him. Let him and his mother fully recover from the hell they went through in their abusive family. Give them a chance to have a normal life.»

With one last look at the jury, Matthew said, «Thank you.»

He walked back to his chair and the moment he sat down, Atlantis' fingers covered his hand. He looked up at her and she whispered, «Thank you.»

Her eyes glistened with tears of gratefulness and Matthew gently caressed her palm with his thumb. Not another word was spoken, but the bond of unconditional love that was connecting them was growing even stronger now.


	33. Chapter 33

_Sorry for the long delay. Private life kicked in, problems, health, writer's blockade…but I am back now and I hope that you will still be beside me and willing to read and review my story. Thanks to everybody who sent mails and encouraged me to update my story. I finally give you a new chapter and promise I will finish this story and start another one soon! Thanks to all of you who reviewed! __Chapter 33_

Next following days the people of Colorado Springs didn't talk about anything else than a trial that was going on, the cruelty of Heart and Paul and the horror Atlantis went through. Anger boiled in them because no matter the differences they all had, they were all thinking the same; nobody deserved to suffer the way Atlantis did her entire life and that is why each citizen of Colorado Springs accepted to be a witness of their first meeting with Heart and Atlantis few years ago when the circus came into town. They all wanted to make sure that her son doesn't experience the same fate like his Mother did – or even worse.

Dorothy recalled the dinner at Heart's place years ago. She said Atlantis was quite silent whole night. Colleen, who arrived first at the dinner talked how she overheard their talk and how Heart told Atlantis not to wear the gloves so she would put other people at ease and how young girl replied _"What about MY ease?" _

During his sister's testimony, Matthew learned some things he never knew. Apart from that talk Heart had with Atlantis, he heard things that Atlantis wrote to Colleen; about how hard it is to travel no stop, how she wants to settle down, but that Heart doesn't show intention to stop.

Michaela recalled how, after the surgery she performed on Atlantis' hands, Heart said that she will give _"a normal life to her daughter". _Yet, nothing changed, it even became worse.

Lawyer who was in charge of defending Paul and Heart didn't have withnesses. His defending was based on _"the fact that Mr. Cooper doesn't have concrete evidences that support the case, so it is just Atlantis' word against Heart and Paul's"._

And that was something that truly worried Matthew without that bloody men pointing it out.

_Later that afternoon_

"Dr Mike?"

Michaela turned around to see her oldest son walking toward her "Matthew, is something wrong?"

He stopped in front of her "I need your help."

"Sure, what is it?", Michaela asked.

Matthew took a deep breath in "Can you do some tests?"

"What? You mean to find out is Heart really not Atlantis' Mother?", Michaela wasn't sure what to think of this "Matthew…"

"I know, Dr Mike. I've been thinking about that ever since this trial begun", Matthew said, his face clouded with worry "It's a risk because there is always a slight possibility that Heart is her Mother", rubbing his forehead, he said "But, I've talked to Atlantis about it."

"What did she say?", asked Michaela.

"That she can't live in lies anymore", Matthew shortly stated "She wants to find out. Whatever the consequences."

For a moment, silence prevailed and than Michaela nodded "All right."

_Few days later_

Horace stood in front of the telegraph office, gazing toward the school house. He had to stay at the telegraph office, but wondered what was going on on that trial. Dr. Mike still didn't got the results of tests and time was ticking out…

Sound of the horse approaching snapped Horace out of his thoughts and he turned around to see a rider coming.

A young woman was holding up the rheins. Her hair was brown, reached her shoulders. Her face was serious and…sad? She looked around on the empty streets and noticing Horace, she stopped the horse and jumped of the seat. She walked quickly toward him.

"Excuse me, Sir", she said, her voice shivering a bit "Can you tell me where can I find Mr. Matthew Cooper?"

"He's in the school house, right across the bridge, he has a trial", Horace replied "Something I can do to help you? I can deliver him a message once he's finished", said Horace, looking intently at the girl. Something about her was familiar. Where did he see those big brown eyes before?

"Trial?", girl creased her eyebrows "What trial?"

"Oh, it's a case he is working on. Mister Cooper is a lawyer. Guess you're not from around so you didn't hear about it; it's a young woman charging her husband and a woman who claimed to be her Mother, but looks like she kidnapped her when she was a child…", Horace's voice trailed off as a young woman in front of him let out a silent sob and her eyes filled with tears "Miss? Are you…are you all right?", he asked, concerned.

"Uhm…please, tell me. What's the name of that young woman?", her voice was a barely audible whisper.

"Well, I am not sure of her last name as apparently she was kidnapped, like I said. But, her name is Atlantis."

The whole world stopped as young woman in front of Horace pressed a palm against her lips and tears ran down her cheeks "Oh, my God!", she breathed out "I've found her", she looked at the school house and than back at Horace **"I've found my little sister!"**

Horace felt the air leaving his lungs at the words she just said and he stared at her, his eyes nearly dropping out from his head "You…you what?!", he mumbled in shock.

Both crying and smiling, the girl grabbed Horace's upper arm "Sir, please. Take me to that trial."

Horace was completely stunned. This girl was Atlantis' sister?!

He took another look at her face and suddenly realized from where were her eyes familiar to him.

They were identical like Atlantis eyes!

Without a word, he nodded and quickly closed the doors of the telegraph office. Locking them, he quickly started to walk across the meadow with young woman beside him.

_In the courtoom_

Judge looked up from his papers "Mr. Cooper, do you have any other witness?"

"No, your Honour", replied Matthew.

"All right. We will continue when I will…"

But, before he could finish the sentence, the doors slammed open and everybody turned to see Horace and young woman entering.

"Your Honour, I apologize", Horace started to talk while the girl who came with him started to walk forward and looked around the courtroom "Atlantis? Atlantis, where are you?"

Atlantis looked confused at Matthew and he shrugged, silently showing her that he had no idea what was going on.

Heart's face went pale and her eyes widened. She remembered this girl. She recognized those eyes. She remembered how she was trying to stop her from snatching Atlantis from her childhood…

"Atlantis?", young woman repeated desperately.

Something strange entered Atlantis' senses. She slowly took two steps forward, Matthew was right beside her as she took in the sight of a girl not much older than she is…

…and the world started to spin.

"NOOOO! Leave my sister alone, you witch!", a six- year - old girl was crying, holding onto a jacket of her baby sister.

"_You little scumbag!", red - haired woman mumbled through gritted teeth "I said let her go!", she pulled the little girl stronger to her, but the oldest girl didn't give up._

"_You can't have her! She is my sister!"_

"_I. Said. LET. GO!", red- haired woman snapped and kicked the older girl hard!_

_The child fell down on the floor, her grasp loosing on the jacket of crying little girl. As a woman ran away, carrying her, the little girl screamed through sobs "NICOLE! HELP ME!"_

"Nicole?", Atlantis whispered, all coming back to her "Nicole, is that you?", she was afraid of taking another step.

As a young woman nodded, they ran toward each other and as they reached each other, Atlantis sobbed loudly as Nicole cried through sobs as well "My baby sister! I finally found you!"


	34. Chapter 34

Well, considering it was a long time ago since I updated this story, I decided to give you another chapter for today. Enjoy and push that review button, let me know what do you think!Chapter 34

People gasped at the scene in front of them and everybody started to state their opinion, their voices making quite some noise.

"Order! Order in the courtoom!", Judge yelled, knocking down his hammer few times.

As everybody slowly started to quiet down and get back to their places, Matthew knew he had to react NOW.

"Your Honour, I'd like to ask a delay for tomorrow."

Judge nodded "I was about to suggest the same thing, Mr. Cooper. Will you be calling Miss", he pointed at Nicole "as a witness?"

Matthew turned around to look at the sisters who still held each other, not moving. Still clucthing to her little sister's shoulders like she will dissappear if she lets her go, Nicole nodded.

Matthew couldn't help but smile a bit "Yes, I will, your Honour."

"Very well. We will continue tomorrow at 11."

"THIS IS NONSENSE!", all of a sudden Heart's voice was heard. She tried to launch herself at Nicole and Atlantis, but her lawayer held her back "You CAN'T POSSIBLY REMEMBER THAT DAY!"

"What day, Miss Phillips?", Judge's serious voice was heard.

All blood drained from Heart's face once again. She said too much.

"Miss Phillips, I asked you a question. If you don't reply, I will have to punish you."

Heart stayed silent, her face in complete shock, her eyes looking around like she doesn't know where is she anymore. Her lawyer finally managed to push her back into her seat and that was when Judge had enough "Miss Phillips, your behaviour will be considered when I will bring my decision on this case. We will continue tomorrow at 11. This court is dismissed for today", he said and kicked his hammer on the desk.

Hank and Jake went forward to take away Heart and Paul. It was than when Nicole's eyes met Heart's. Before anybody could even react or move, Nicole stepped closer to Heart, never letting go of Atlantis "You will pay for this, you witch. You've ruined my sister's life, my life and lives of our parents. I swear, you're not getting out of this", Nicole's voice was determined "I will destroy you with my testimony tomorrow, you will pay for everything you've put my sister through."

"Are you threatening me?", snapped Heart.

"No. It's not a threat", Nicole smiled "It's a promise."

"Come on!", smirked Hank, feeling quite a pleasure of seeing Heart being cornered. The woman will finally get what she deserves. With a help from Jake, he took both Heart and Paul back to the prison.

"That woman is insane", grumbled Loren.

"I couldn't agree more", commented Robert E.

Once Heart was out from the courtroom, Nicole relaxed a bit. She still held Atlantis tight and close to her, like she will never let her go.

Atlantis looked up at her and for a moment, silence prevailed.

"You got so big", whispered Nicole and kissed her sister's forehead. "I never lost hope. Never. Even when Mum and Dad gave up, I always believed that I will find you one day."

"Mum and Dad", Atlantis whispered "Are they…are they…", she couldn't utter the word. Nicole nodded.

"Yes, they are alive. I was the one who saw the article in the newspapers, but I didn't want to tell them anything until I was hundred percent sure. I am sorry, I was scared that they couldn't stand another dissapointment", Nicole whispered, her tears rolling down freely down her cheeks. Atlantis gently wiped them.

"I couldn't remember anything, but the moment I saw you and heard your voice…I remembered everything. How you tried to save me", she clutched to her sister and Nicole hugged her back, kissing her hair.

"It's all right, Atlantis. I am here now."

For few more moments, sisters just held each other, unaware that everybody was looking at them.

Matthew tensed at the sheer curiosity that bursted out from the townsfolk and he quickly said "Grace, can I ask you to fix some meal for us to bring home? St. Louis is far away from here", he looked at Nicole "You must be hungry and tired."

Nicole eyed him suspiciously; having her sister snatched away from her in such an early age made her not to trust people whom she saw for the first time. Matthew understood the look as he was probably the same with Colleen and Brian bringing their friends home or falling in love. That's probably something what big brothers and sisters do; worry about their siblings. Especially if their childhood wasn't easy like his and Nicole's.

Still holding onto Atlantis, Nicole said "And you are?"

"Matthew Cooper."

Atlantis looked up at her sister and wanted to explain, but in a second, Nicole loosened her grip on her and gave her hand to Matthew "Mr. Cooper…I don't know how will I ever thank you for publishing that article and bringing me my sister back", her voice shivered.

"Calling me Matthew would be a good place to start", Matthew accepted her hand and smiled. Nicole nodded, managing to smile back.

Matthew looked at his family "Why don't we all go and get some food at Grace's? Than later on we will sit down and talk. Lets give them some time alone, shall we?", and with those words, he and the Sully family left the courtroom.

As the doors shut behind them, Nicole looked at Atlantis "You got a good lawyer. And with my help, we will shut down that woman forever."

Atlantis softly smiled "Matthew is so much more than just my lawyer", she couldn't help but chuckle at raised eyebrow on her sister's face "I'll tell you everything. And there is someone else whom I'd like you to meet", she saw interest in Nicole's eyes and smiled "But, later. Matthew is right, you must be deadly tired and hungry. Come on, lets get something to eat", she took a deep breath in "I still can't believe that you're here, Nicole!"

Her sister smiled through tears and they hugged each other as they started to walk toward the doors of the courtroom. There will be time for all the talk and explanation. For now, they were back together, side by side and it showed once again that sisterly bond is impossible to break.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Every step was like a walk in the dream for the sisters. Years that hung between them, years they spent far away from each other seem to dissapear in a simple linking arm with arm as they walked toward Grace's.

They were greeted by the Sully family, minus Katie and Matthew. Seeing the questioning look in Atlantis' eyes, Michaela guessed young woman's thoughts and said "They're still at Mr. Bray's, Matthew went to get them", she smiled warmly "Grace already packed everything up. What do you think of coming at our place for a lunch?"

Atlantis nodded "That would be wonderful, Dr Mike, thank you so much", she quietly said.

"Don't mention it", Michaela replied with a warm smile still on her lips. She grew to like this young woman even more in last few months. Life wasn't easy on Atlantis, that was for sure, yet she never lost the goodness of her heart. Michaela hoped that things will start to fall into a right place from now. Her sister being back was the first sign of the possibility it could really happen.

It was in that moment that Katie's chattering was heard accompanied with little Matthew's laughter and Matthew's unsuccessful tries to shush the children up as they walked closer toward the small group of grown ups who waited for them.

Atlantis' heart warmed at the sight of Matthew with the little ones. It never ceased to amaze her how good he was with them. It was obvious that kids adored him, Katie looked up to her big brother no matter what was it about; in her eyes Matthew was always right. Atlantis was sure that he was also this protective over Brian and Colleen as they were growing up, even more so considering everything Ethan put them through.

One thing was for sure; Matthew was nothing like his biological Father. Atlantis didn't need to meet Ethan to realize that. The way Matthew cared for her little son spoke volumes. Being a Father came natural to him, the way he held little Matthew while he read him bedtime stor, the way he was teaching him a new thing every single day, the way the duoteamed up against her in their little games…

"Took me quite a fighting to separate them from Loren", said Matthew with a grin.

"Katie?", Sully couldn't help but smile at his little one at hearing what Matthew just said. Katie sighed and hurried to explain "Poppy, Matthew and me were just about to show Mr Bray how could he pull a rabbit right out of his hat when Matthew interrupted us", she slightly pouted at her older brother. Matthew grimaced under her stare, pretending to be hurt.

"Looks to me like I will have to take you fishing to make it up, Katie", Matthew winked at her and in a moment he got Katie's forgivness. His little sister hugged his right leg and looking up, she said with a grin "You're the best big brother in the world, Matthew."

Scooping her up in his arms, Matthew huffed "Yeah, yeah, I heard that before", he still acted offended so Katie decided that a sisterly hug and a peck on a cheek would grant her a smile from her big brother. And as usual, she was right.

"Nicole", Atlantis smiled, looking at her sister "I'd like you to meet Dr Mike and her husband Sully. Dr Mike fixed my hands few years ago."

Nicole's eyes widened in a surprise as she realized that she didn't even notice her sister's hands until now. Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes as she looked down at Atlantis' fingers that were completely normal now "Not even a scar", Nicole whispered.

"Ma's the best doctor in the world", beamed Brian.

"Brian!", Mike gently scolded him, but Nicole shook her head.

"I must say that I agree with this young man. What you did is a miracle, Dr Mike. Thank you", Nicole's voice was silent and cracked with emotions and Michaela knew that young woman was on the edge of her tears.

"I also agree with Brian", smiled Atlantis "He made the best clown alongside Mr Bray I ever saw", she couldn't help but to playfully touch Brian's nose with her index finger and family laughed at the memory.

"A clown?", Nicole asked.

"Yes, when we met for the first time, Atlantis was in the circus and the whole town was participating!", Brian exclaimed, excited to share a story.

Nicole's eyes drifted from Atlantis' face back to her hands. The anger and sadness boiled inside of her…Public humiliation in order to earn some quick money... If Heart was anywhere near her, Nicole could swear that she would strangle her with her own two hands.

Atlantis noticed her sister's look and held her hand tighter "It's all in the past now, Nicole. Plus, I also did some things that didn't have anything to do with my hands."

"Yeah, she taught Colleen and Matthew to walk on the high wire!", Brian spoke eagerly "You should have seen it, it was so much fun!"

Atlantis smiled at Brian and said "Nicole, this is Brian and this is Colleen, my best friend."

Nicole took in the faces of people in front of her. She was lost for words "I don't know what to say to all of you. Thank you for helping my sister when I couldn't", she silently said, one stubborn tear escaping her eyes.

"I wasn't in the circus", pouted Katie.

That did the trick; everybody, including Nicole chuckled.

"Why not?", Nicole asked with a smile.

"She was born few years after that", explained Mike, taking Katie from Matthew.

"Yup, but I already know how to do some tricks, Atlantis taught me", grinned Katie.

Atlantis nodded with a smile and took a deep breath in. Turning around, she saw her son standing right next to Matthew, silently watching at young woman that stood beside his Mommy. Dr Mike's work with him paid off; a child wasn't so scared of strangers anymore, however, he was still very quiet when it comes to meeting new people.

But, his facial expression wasn't tense at all. He studied Nicole with a child curiosity.

Atlantis bent down and gently picked her son up in her arms. Instantly, little boy hugged his Mommy around her neck and pressed his warm soft cheek on her face. Two pair of identical big brown eyes looked at Nicole.

"Nicole… I'd like you too met someone very special. This is my son Matthew", kissing little boy's cheek, Atlantis whispered "Matthew…This is your Auntie Nicole."

Little boy watched the woman curiously and noticed that she had same eyes as his Mommy. Her hair was bit shorter than his Mommy's, but her face was so gentle. He liked her instantly. "You look just like my Mommy", little Matthew stated, smiling.

Tears became too heavy and rolled down Nicole's cheeks as Atlantis gently passed her son into her sister's arms. The moment child hugged her, Nicole let out a silent sob and hugged her little nephew for the first time in her life and held him like she will never let him go.


	36. Chapter 36

_Chapter 36_

Two wagons stopped in front of Michaela and Sully's house. Immediatelly, Brian led Katie and little Matthew toward the barn with an excuse to help him unhitch the horses from the wagons and take care of them. He decided to do that so the grown ups would have a chance to talk about everything. He would take care of the little ones.

Once they entered the house, Colleen went toward the kitchen to put a kettle on. Michaela set up the table while Sully went to get some woods for the fire. Matthew started to make a fire.

It didn't go unnoticed by Nicole that Atlantis was at ease with these people. She watched how she helped Dr Mike to set up the table, but also caught few moments when she looked at Matthew. It wasn't the first time she saw it, she also noticed it back in town and on the ride to Sully's homestead. Than there was Atlantis' son having the same name as young blond man who was starting up a fire in a fireplace. She wondered what kind of relationship he had with her sister.

As she and Atlantis finally sat down, for a moment, they were alone at the table. Nicole leaned toward Atlantis not being able to stay quiet anymore.

"So…you're gonna tell me what is it between your and your handsome lawyer?", as she noticed her sister's face getting a nice shade of red, Nicole couldn't help but smile. So, she guessed. Not that it was that hard to guess. She also noticed how gentle was Matthew with her sister; every now and than when they would talk, he would lightly touch her hand or shoulder, shared long looks with her and it was fascinating, it looked like they communicate without uttering a single word.

However, there was no time for further discussion as Michaela, Sully, Matthew and Colleen sat at the table.

For long time, nobody spoke. Colleen poured coffee in the cups and took a seat beside her brother. Nicole swallowed hard before reaching in her bag and producing a framed photo. Without a word, she gave it to Atlantis.

Something in her lungs started to rise as Atlantis' brown eyes looked down at the photo. A tall man with moustaches and beard held a little girl with strange looking hands. His other hand was protectively placed upon the shoulder of a woman with long brown locks who was sitting in front of him. On her left side stood another girl, holding a doll. All four of them were smiling.

Shivers ran up and down Atlantis' spine as the sobs climbed up from her lungs. Next thing she knew were Nicole's arms pulling her in a comforting embrace. She leaned into her, her eyes fixed on the photo as the tears bursted out and rolled heavily down her cheeks at the sight of her family.

"I still remember that horrible day, like it happened yesterday", whispered Nicole, her own voice also cracked with tears "For years, I couldn't forgive myself."

"Yourself?", Michaela gently asked.

Nicole nodded, turning her attention to a doctor "Yes. Mum and Dad took us to the fair and Atlantis and me wanted to get some ice cream. At first Mum didn't want to let us go all by ourselves, but I assured her that we are big enough and that we will also bring ice creams to her and Dad", as the tears started to roll down her eyes, Nicole continued through sobs "Still, she didn't aloow it. We waited until Mum and Dad turned their backs and ran away. We thought that they won't even notice that we're gone. We ran toward the ice cream stand and Atlantis pointed out that we didn't have any money because parents didn't allow us to go. We just stood there and that was when that woman came. She took immediate interest in Atlantis and told us she will buy us some ice cream. I didn't want to, but she started to assure us she won't do us any harm. I tried to pull Atlantis away from her, but that was when she grabbed her…", her hold on her sister tightened, memories of that horrible day taking their toll on Nicole "I couldn't call for Mum and Dad as they were too far away, but nobody wanted to help, they all thought she was with us and that I was disobeying her. Atlantis was screaming for me as she ran away carrying her", with those words, Nicole broke down and she looked at Atlantis "I am so sorry, Atlantis."

"Well, aren't you two little beautiful girls!", red-haired woman smiled down at two sisters. Six-year-old Nicole held Atlantis' hand and the younger child hid behind her sister. "Now, now, nothing to be afraid of. Where are your parents?"

"_At the fair", four-year-old Atlantis silently said._

"_What, and didn't buy you an ice cream? Come on, I will buy you some."_

"_No, thank you, Ma'am", Nicole replied remembering her parents' warning to never take some food from the strangers._

_Red-haired woman stared sharply at the older child "Now, that's rude. When somebody wants to buy you an ice cream, you don't refuse."_

"_I don't know you", mumbled Nicole, taking two steps back._

"_Well, than I will buy an ice cream just for your little sister!", a woman pulled little one for her hand, her eyes twinkling. As little one started to cry and tried to break free, Nicole grabbed her jacket sending woman into anger "Let go of her!", woman yelled._

_"NOOOO! Leave my sister alone, you witch!", a six- year - old girl was crying, holding onto a jacket of her baby sister._

"_You little scumbag!", red - haired woman mumbled through gritted teeth "I said let her go!", she pulled the little girl stronger to her, but the oldest girl didn't give up._

"_You can't have her! She is my sister!"_

"_I. Said. LET. GO!", red- haired woman snapped and kicked the older girl hard!_

_The child fell down on the floor, her grasp loosing on the jacket of crying little girl. As a woman ran away, carrying her, the little girl screamed through sobs "NICOLE! HELP ME!"_

Nicole placed her head on her left palm, squeezing her eyes shut as the tears stopped her from talking further. Atlantis grabbed her sister's upeer arms and gently shook her.

"Nicole. Nicole, look at me", as her sister opened her eyes, Atlantis said "Nicole, it wasn't your fault."

"Yes, yes it was. I was suppose to protect you", sobbed Nicole.

"But, Nicole, you were just a child, you couldn't fight her!", Atlantis tried to reassure her, it broke her heart to see her sister hurting like this.

"I should have done something, run to get our parents…"

"What good would that do? Heart would be long gone till you came back with them", Atlantis said.

"I shouldn't have to talk you into running away in the first place."

"Hey, I wanted to go", Atlantis tried to smile "I wanted to have an ice cream too", at those words, Nicole shakily smiled and Atlantis wiped her tears away, kissing her on the cheek.

"Younger siblings never listen, I know that", Matthew's voice was heard.

"Matthew!", Colleen gasped.

"What? You and Brian had even worse ideas than that! Remember when we went fishing when you were, what - six and Brian barely two years old? You wanted to catch a big fish and instead of putting a worm on the fishing stick, you started to put Brian's trousers on it, wanting to feed fishes with him, eventhough I tried to stop you!", receiving playfull hit on the head from his sister, Matthew laughed "It's true! Brian was light as a feather and Colleen was chubby little girl, she actually managed to pick up the fishing stick with him hanging from it giggling like crazy, but it broke under Brian's weight and he fell into shallow water, splashing her from head to toe!", he laughed even more when Colleen covered his lips with her palm to shut him up, sending everybody into laughter.

"Nicole, it wasn't your fault", Atlantis looked at her sister; her facial expression seemed to relax a bit. Atlantis was sure that Nicole blamed herself all these years "You weren't physically strong to pull me away, our parents were too far away. Don't do that to yourself. Plus, I'm fine", smiled Atlantis "All this will be over in few days and than we can make up for the time we missed."

Nicole nodded "I'd like that", as her sister hugged her, she whispered "Thank you."

"Are you ready to testify on the court tomorrow and repeat all this in front of the Judge and jury?", asked Matthew.

"Absolutely, Matthew", said Nicole "Thank you."

For long in night, lamps in Sully family house were on. As the wind blew its October tune outside, the fire in a fireplace kept the house warm as two sisters sat in front of it and talked for a long, long time…never letting go of each other's hands. While everybody else slept in the house, Atlantis and Nicole started to catch up on lost years. Eager to hear about each other's lives… and determined to never ever lose one another again.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The silence in the courtroom was horrifying. Atlantis could feel her knuckles turning white as she nervously squeezed the material of her dress. She swallowed, the prickles of cold sweat running down her hairline.

Her eyes stopped on the entrance for the jury and she watched as one by one members sat down on their chairs.

The voices echoed in her head…she closed her eyes, breath leaving her lungs as she heard the verdict.

_**Guilty.**_

Next moment, she was snapped back into reality at the feeling of Nicole and Matthew's closeness to her. She opened her eyes, not even aware of the tears that rolled down her cheeks while the smile of pure relief shone on her lips.

"It's over", she whispered as she looked at her sister "Nicole, it's finally over."

Crying, she hid her face in Nicole's hair and Matthew stood in front of two sisters to hide them away from the mean look that Heart and Paul sent towards them. As far as Matthew was concerned, those two creeps will never lay their eyes on Atlantis again. He won't let it. Until the Sheriff from Denver arrives to take them away to prison, Matthew was determined to keep Atlantis away from both Heart and Paul.

And he knew just how… He had it all arranged this morning with Horace.

It was in that moment that Atlantis turned toward him. Her eyes were filled with tears, but her face shone with such happiness and hope. She never hid her emotions, that was one of the things he loved about her so much.

The world started to drift away, people's voices as they shared her happiness were barely whispers as Atlantis sank into the blue ocean of Matthew's eyes.

She felt his thumb gently wiping away tears under her left eye and that simple, gentle movement triggered something inside of her. The very next moment, she was in his embrace, his hands holding her tightly and lovingly, her whole skin tingling from his touch as he hugged her around her waist. Atlantis' buried her face in his shoulder, holding strongly onto him, for a moment, it felt like they were all alone in the world.

The skin of his cheek gently brushed against her own cheek and she searched for his lips. Not caring what will people think or say, not caring about anything right now except for the immense love she felt for Matthew Cooper.

Just for a moment, Nicole was surprised, but than a smile graced her lips; it wasn't like she didn't notice sparks that flew between her sister and Matthew, but Atlantis still didn't tell her anything…unless that he is so much more than just her lawyer…

But, than again, they didn't catch more than few minutes alone.

Looking around, she saw surprised faces of the citizens of Colorado Springs and knew right away what were they thinking. This was a small town, everybody knew everybody and showing emotions in the public, while you aren't married was … well, a bit odd and wrong for them. But, Atlantis and Matthew were completely ignorant to the people's reactions.

And, that's why Nicole started to applaud. Brian followed instantly, his face almost splitting with a happy grin. Spontaneously, everybody accepted it and very soon, the schoolhouse looked more like a wedding hall than the courtroom.

Atlantis felt Matthew smiling against her lips and it was totally contagious; she felt her lips curling up in a smile too. As she caught her breath, she looked up at Matthew's eyes, her face only an inch away from his "Thank you so much", she whispered. As he kissed her forehead, softly as a breeze, Atlantis let out a silent, shivering breath and let his hands to pull her into a warm hug…

All of a sudden townsfolk wanted to congratulate and shake hands, praise Matthew for the good defense. His family hugged him and they all talked at once, so happy with the outcome.

Nicole used this opportunity and playfully kicked Atlantis in the ribs.

"Hey!", Atlantis smirked.

"I saw it from the first moment I got here", whispered Nicole, smiling at her little sister. As Atlantis' cheeks burned with nice shade of red and her smile widened, Nicole hugged her sister.

_**xxxxxxx**_

Slowly, the schoolhouse where the trial was held emptied as townsfolk went to their homes. Dorothy insisted on getting a statement from Atlantis, but seeing Atlantis' discomfort, Matthew said that he will do it, but tomorrow, when they all get much needed rest. Dorothy wasn't very satisfied with that, but Matthew couldn't care less. The last thing Atlantis needed now was to be interviewed for The Gazette. Besides, Dorothy had enough of material from the trial without Atlantis' statement.

Without a word, Sully family, Nicole and little Matthew went toward Grace's Café, leaving the young couple alone for a while.

"Thanks…I really wasn't in the mood to answer her questions", whispered Atlantis.

"I know, don't worry, I will settle that down", he gently rubbed his palms down her arms "You okay?", he asked, knowing that all this must have taken quite a lot on her. Cloud Dancing did help, that was for sure, but emotions can play tricks on you, Matthew knew that all too well.

She looked up at him, his ability to read her feelings never ceased to amaze her. His eyes were warm and full of love.

"I guess so", she shrugged "I don't know. It all seems so…unreal, you know?", she creased her brow.

"Yeah, I understand", nodded Matthew "It feels like you are floating in a bad dream and you keep on reminding yourself that you should wake up…and than you realize it ain't just a nightmare, that it's real. And it confuses you, makes you angry, sad…"

Atlantis watched him carefully and knew that he did understand. Her palm softly caressed his face as her heart went out for him, "Ingrid?", she whispered, wishing nothing more but to take such huge pain away from him.

"Actually, it's more about Ma", he swallowed hard "And Ethan", taking a deep breath in, he continued "Both times when he came back, I felt just like you now. Hurt, betrayed."

"That's exactly how I feel", whispered Atlantis.

"I know. But, it will go away, I promise. And I will help you", he gently kissed her eyelids, sending feeling of a pure peace down to Atlantis' heart.

For a moment, she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, letting her senses relax by Matthew's closeness. His right hand gently rubbed her back and he felt her snuggling closer to him. She could hear his heartbeat as her head leaned on his chest and Atlantis relaxed completely…She was safe…she was loved.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

The sun shone above the Grace's Café as Sully family sat down to have some lunch. Little Matthew was sitting on Nicole's lap; the child took an instant liking to his Aunt and if a stranger would pass by, he would never think that two of them met only few days ago. At the moment, Nicole was feeding him with some meat and potatoes, promising him that apple pie is next on the menu.

Atlantis and Matthew also joined the others and Grace filled their cups with some coffee while they waited for food to be prepared.

Atlantis looked around the table and a smile lifted the corner of her lips. Never in her life she thought she will be this happy, especially in last few years. Ever since she could remember, she had to work hard in the circus and than her marriage with Paul…She was grateful for the help Cloud Dancing gave her. That vision quest was one of the most amazing things that ever happened to her and to know that Matthew had the same one few years ago still touched her heart deeply.

She looked at everybody at the table. Dr Mike was cutting her meat, smiling at something Sully whispered to her. Than there were Colleen and Brian; Atlantis couldn't help but smile at Brian stealing a cherry tomato from Colleen's plate earning himself a playful kick on shoulder from his big sister.

Katie was sitting on Matthew's lap, concentrated on a piece of toast he had in his hand. It was something Atlantis noticed some time ago; whenever it came to eating, Katie preferred to have Matthew taking care of it. He always put just the amount of jam Katie wanted to on her toast. Atlantis couldn't help but smile at how Katie literally stopped breathing as Matthew slowly dabbed jam into the corner of toast, barely holding his chuckle until Michaela scolded him:

"Matthew! Stop that! Katie, honey, breathe", as Michaela shook her head, Katie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and Matthew couldn't help but laugh. Katie looked up at her big brother.

"You tricked me again!", she giggled.

"Sorry, Katie", Matthew smiled widely, kissing his little sister's soft hair and gave her a spoon full of strawberry jam without toast "You forgive me?"

Much to Michaela's dismay, Katie swallowed jam in one gulp. Noticing her Mum's look, she grinned at Matthew "Ma's gonna make you payyyy!", she giggled even more as Matthew tickled her and in next moment, she wrapped her chubby little arms around her big brother's neck. It was the game they played often to tease their Ma and Katie loved every second of it.

In that moment, Grace arrived with their meals and Katie looked up at Atlantis "Here, you can have this", she put up her little hand up so Atlantis could take a bit of a toast with jam and Atlantis smiled, taking a bite "Mmmmm…thank you, Katie. It's delicious!"

Katie smiled happily and looked up at Matthew "You'll make another one for me, won't you, Matthew?", she pleaded.

"Of course. But you have to eat soup and meat first. And vegetables", said Matthew, already cutting meat in little pieces to feed his sister. Katie let out a sigh, causing everybody to smile. But, she obeyed and started to eat her soup.

It was than when Atlantis' eyes fell on her sister and son and her heart melted with love; the little boy was fully asleep on his Aunt's lap. Nicole met her sister's gaze and whispered "I fed him already, don't worry. But I think I should lay him down now, he was up since early morning."

"You can take him to the Clinic, there's an empty room upstairs", said Dr Mike.

"I'll go with you", said Colleen.

"No, it's okay, we'll be fine. In fact, I wouldn't mind to get some sleep either", said Nicole "It's been such a long time since I slept peacefully", she got up and gently squeezed her sister's shoulder. Atlantis covered Nicole's hand for a while with her palm and smiled at her. Nicole bend down and kissed her sisters' cheek.

"We'll pick you up before we go home", said Atlantis.

Nodding, Nicole went away toward the clinic. As everybody proceeded with their lunch, Matthew looked at Atlantis. Her lovely face shone with peace and happiness and it warmed his heart.

She looked at him and smiled "What?"

"I've been thinking…actually got something planned…if you agree, that is", he silently said.

As Atlantis looked curiously at him, Matthew took out an envelope from his right pocket and gave it to her.

"What is this?", she asked.

"Open it", he gently said.

Not knowing what to expect, Atlantis slowly teared the envelope and silently gasped.

Four tickets to St. Louis…

"When did you…?", her voice was barely audible.

"I got them this morning. Horace said that the next train is due tomorrow afternoon already. You, Matthew, Nicole and me can pack up right after lunch. Nicole already knows about this. And I wanted to give you something that will take your mind of the trial…", Matthew spoke slowly as he took in Atlantis' facial expression.

Her fingers absently caressed the paper of the train tickets. She tried hard to remember her home. Photo that Nicole gave her enabled her to visualize faces of her parents in her mind…but, what was the sound of her Dad's voice? What was the feeling of her Mum's embrace?

"Atlantis", at the sound of Matthew's voice, Atlantis looked up "Are you ready to see your parents again?"

She swallowed hard, few warm tears escaping her eyes and pressing the tickets to her heart, she nodded "Yes. I'm ready to go home", she smiled with pure joy in her eyes and leaning forward, she gave Matthew a gentle kiss on his lips "Thank you", she whispered as his left hand gently caressed her back.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

A loud whistle and puffs of the smoke embraced the sleeping depot of Colorado Springs. The sun still didn't rise from behind the Pike's Peak and the chillness of the night still flew around through the winter's wind.

"Where are we going again, Auntie Nicole?", little Matthew looked at his Aunt. His little face was protected by a scarf and a cap, but still the top of his button – like nose was glowing red. Nicole smiled warmly kissing the tip of her nephew's nose.

"To St. Louis. You're going to meet your grandparents there", she answered, slowly bouncing the little one on her arms, sending child to giggles "Do you remember what I told you? What's your Grandpa's name?"

"James", little boy replied with a grin.

"Very good! And your Grandma's?"

"Helene", child's smile grew wider and his Aunt pressed a kiss to his baby – soft cheek.

"Ah, they're gonna love you, my little darling", Nicole whispered, holding tightly to the little one. It was still amazing to her that she actually held Atlantis' child in her embrace. Years and years of self – guilt nearly consumed the young woman and she swore that she will never give up on trying to find her beloved little sister. And God has been good to her; not only did she find Atlantis, but also discovered that she is an Aunt to the most sweetest, cutest little boy who stole her heart from the very first moment he looked up at her with those big brown eyes, so identical to hers and Atlantis' eyes.

She looked over her shoulder to see Dr Mike hugging Atlantis. Nicole's face warmed at the sight of the Sully family. Even though it was very early in the morning, plus a cold December dawn, they were all here to wish them a safe and good trip. Even Katie was here. There was absolutely not a chance for her to stay at home as she wanted to say bye to her little friend. She was half asleep though in Sully's arms now, her brown curls peeking under her soft – pink cap while she stubbornly mumbled "I'm not sleepy."

"You have a good trip and don't worry about anything", Michaela said, gently caressing Atlantis long hair.

"Thank you, Dr Mike", whispered Atlantis, hugging her doctor back "For everything."

"You send us a word as soon as you come to St. Louis ", Sully said and Matthew nodded. They hugged each other, stirring Katie up just for a moment, but enough to repeat her "I'm not sleepy" line. Matthew and Sully smiled at the little girl and Matthew gently picked up his little sister in his arms. Nesting in her big brother's arms, Katie looked at him and whispered "I don't wanna sleep. I wanna go with you, Matthew."

Matthew's heart broke because for the first time ever since she was born, he couldn't fulfill her wish. Securing her scarf closer to her little face, Matthew kissed Katie's soft cheek "I'm sorry, Katie, but you can't go with me now. I have to finish something, but I will make it up to you as soon as I get back."

"Tea party?", all of a sudden Katie was almost wide awake. Matthew smiled and nodded "Tea party it is", he couldn't help but smile.

"And you'll dance with me for New Year's Eve?", she wanted to know.

"Absolutely", Matthew gently squeezed the tip of her little nose and Katie smiled for a moment.

"I will still miss you", she whispered and hugged her brother. Matthew tightened his hold on her and whispered "I'll miss you too, Katie. But I'll come back soon."

She pulled back and looked at him "Promise?"

Matthew smiled again and kissing her little fingers, he nodded "Promise."

"All aboard!"

Another whistle was heard as the wheels of the train slowly started to turn and the engine pushed the mighty locomotive forward. With one last glance at their family, Matthew and Atlantis followed Nicole and little Matthew into the wagon, waving to the Sullys until they couldn't see them anymore.

They settled down in the wagon, Nicole slowly rocked her almost asleep little nephew who fought the slumber because he wanted to watch through the window and see the scenery they were passing by. But, the soft humming of his Aunt's voice as she sang him a lullaby and gentle rocking of her arms lulled him to sleep in the matter of few minutes.

The wheels of the train turned, covering miles, bringing closer the closure for Atlantis. She gazed outside the window at the endless fields. The sun shyly started to pick up its sleepy head far on the horizon while the last stars faded away on the sky and the thin pale moon disappeared.

She looked over at Nicole and small smile curled up her lips; her sister was also dozing off with little Matthew softly snoring in her arms. Atlantis got up and took her little son from Nicole's arms. Placing him down on the seat next to Nicole, she covered him with his small blanket. A child let out a deep breath, snuggling into the warmth of the blanket and Atlantis gently caressed his soft brown hair. For a moment, she pressed her face gently to her son's cheek and relaxed. Their torment was finally over. Paul couldn't hurt her or her little sunshine anymore, and neither could Heart. Dr Mike worked patiently with little Matthew for all this time and consequences of what he endured were almost gone, he was more relaxed around new people, didn't panic easily, even his nightmare subsided. However, Atlantis knew that it will take more time for her son to heal completely. One thing was for sure; she was determined to ensure a good life for him. She wanted to see her little darling playing and laughing, run around with other children, grow up happily.

And it was possible now.

She fixed the covers of the blanket around her son's shoulders, tucking him in and slowly went back to her seat.

Matthew looked at her as she sat down. His right hand hugged her and she laid down her head at his shoulder, taking a deep breath in.

"You all right?", he silently asked. Feeling her nod, Matthew kissed her hair, causing her eyes to close and a small breath of relief escaping her lips "Get some sleep now", he whispered and tightened his hold on her. His fingers gently caressed her long hair, the gentleness of his touch and the safety of him being close lulled her into sleep.

**xxxxx**

The sun was high up on the sky when Atlantis stirred from her slumber, her eyes slowly fluttering as she tried to wake up. She looked around, not knowing where is she…yet, something seemed familiar.

The smell of cacao reached her nostrils as her eyes opened fully. She was in the unknown room, laying in the bed. Things around here were foggy and the voices she heard were somewhat distant, but warm and even though she didn't recognize them, something inside her told her that she is safe here.

Slowly, she got up, noticing that she is wearing only her nightgown. She looked around as she tiptoed from the room, following the voices.

She could hear female's voice singing Christmas carol as she neared the doors at the end of the hallway. Slowly, she opened them, not knowing what to expect, yet her curiosity getting the better of her…

The room was warm, the fire was burning in the fireplace shining on the people who sat in front of the Christmas tree.

"Look, Daddy! I drew you, me, Mummy and Atlantis!", little girl exclaimed. Her brown hair was picked up in two pigtails, red ribbons danced on her head as she got up from the floor with a paper in her hand.

Nicole.

"Let me see that", a man smiled, picking up little girl in his arms.

Atlantis gasped as she recognized his face. It was the same face like on the photo Nicole showed her.

It was her Father.

All of a sudden, two warm hands hugged her and Atlantis was surprised to feel peaceful like never before.

"Welcome home, my little Atlantis", warm female voice whispered in her ear and as she slowly pulled back, Atlantis felt the sobs raising up from her lungs at the sight of a woman in front of her.

"Mum…", the tears flew down her cheeks, mixing with her smile "Oh, Mum!"

**xxxxx**

Her eyes fluttered and behind her eyelashes she took in the picture in front of her; Matthew, Nicole and little Matthew were having some breakfast, the smell of the cacao reached her nostrils…bringing her home.

Her sister looked up at her and smiled "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah", whispered Atlantis, noticing something warm on her. Looking down, she recognized Matthew's coat and realized that he covered her with it while she was sleeping. Fully awake now, Atlantis smiled thankfully at the love of her life. He was feeding little Matthew and her heart warmed at the sight of him being so gentle to her son. Looking back at Nicole, she accepted the cup of cacao from her sister and smiling, she said "I dreamed about Mum and Dad and you and me…back on Christmas Eve."

Nicole smiled "Just a bit more…and that dream will come true."

Taking a sip of warm cacao, Atlantis let the feeling of love and safety totally encircled her senses. She was finally happy.

**xxxxxx**

A loud whistle broke the silence, stirring Atlantis from her slumber. She opened her eyes to see the wagon was covered in dark. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see her sister and her little son sleeping peacefully.

"Dreamed again?", Matthew's voice reached her ears and she inhaled the comforting scent of him, snuggling closer to him.

"Kinda…", she took a deep breath in "I can not wait to see them…Sometimes it still feels like I am dreaming all this…"

His lips traced her hairline and gently touched her eyelids. She sighed silently and with her fingers caressing his cheek, she accepted his kiss. Love warmed her heart as she got lost in the tender touch of his lips on her lips…

None of her dreams would be possible if she didn't meet Matthew. It was him who helped her to stand up on her feet, heal her wounds, fight for herself. It was Matthew who took her hand and lead her outside the darkness she fell into long time ago. It was Matthew who gave her hope for a new tomorrow…

It was Matthew who helped her to walk the wires of her life, no matter how dangerously high they were…

**xxxxxx**

The doors of the train opened and the whirls of the snow falling from the sky danced around Atlantis' face. She held her little son closer to herself as she heard her heart thumping louder with every step she made.

Her child giggled as the snowflakes fell onto his little face; he looked up at the sky and reached out his chubby little arms to catch each one of the white things that fell down.

Atlantis slowly got down from the train, following her sister as they stepped on the ground of St. Louis depot. She could feel Matthew's palm gently holding her back as they walked.

"Oh, my God!"

That voice…

Atlantis looked up, freezing on her steps.

Was she dreaming?

"We…Mathew and I kinda let our parents know that we're coming", Nicole's whisper was heard "Horace wired them", Nicole's voice drifted off and in next moment, she gently took little Matthew from her sister's arms.

Atlantis barely heard her sister's voice, barely felt her son leaving her arms, barely felt Matthew's palm gently pushing her to move forward to two people standing only few steps in front of her…

The air left her lungs, a lump grew in her throat as all of a sudden two pairs of arms hugged her. Two pair of hands shivered as they held tightly onto her and Atlantis felt the whole world started to spin as the tears ran down from her eyes and she sobbed loudly, clutching to two people in front of her.

Her parents.

She was home!


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Atlantis didn't feel the coldness that whirled around her in the shape of the snowflakes that fell harder and harder per every minute. When you wait your whole life for something, you are oblivious to anything else when that wish is finally granted. She was certain that she wasn't dreaming now. Everything came back to her. It felt so good, so familiar and so natural to be hugged by her parents. She couldn't let them go, she couldn't make herself do that. She wasn't aware how long were they standing there on the depot, but she didn't care. She was finally reunited with her family. Everything else wasn't important.

Her Father was the first one who slightly pulled away and looked at her. His face was wrinkled, but still warm. He still had moustaches and beard, his eyes were tired because of sadness and pain that her kidnapping caused, but still he shone with the strength and love, and Atlantis suddenly remembered her dream. She knew that it wasn't just a dream, without anybody telling it to her. She still remembered her Dad scooping little Nicole up in his arms, giving her a peck on the cheek as an award for the drawing…and that wasn't in her dream. It really happened in her past.

"Come on, lets go, you will freeze", her Dad spoke and gently caressed his wife's back. That did the trick for the older woman and she slightly pulled away, but didn't let go of Atlantis. Young woman too didn't let go of her parents, she walked between them, nobody saying a word for a while…Her parents held her as they walked and she leaned on them just like when she was a little girl.

Atlantis watched how her feet left footprints in the snow, meddling with other traces…She finally reached the end of the path that lead her back to her home. From now on, she could breathe normally. Smiling, she inhaled a deep breath of fresh winter air and hugged her parents more tightly.

"I dreamed about you last night", she whispered "I dreamed of that Christmas Eve when Nicole drew all of us, remember?"

Her Dad smiled "You used to love cacao."

Atlantis smiled, her eyes filling with tears of joy "I still do."

Her Mum swallowed hard, still not being able to say a word. She just held her daughter closer to herself as if she was afraid that one word would broke the spell and she would find herself waking up from her slumber again, tear strained face, reaching into the darkness for a daughter who was long time gone.

Atlantis looked at her Mum. Her face clouded with worry. Stopping, she paid full attention to the woman who gave her life, who guarded her ever since she was born, even after she was kidnapped. Atlantis remembered how many times she would dream of a soft, warm voice singing a lullaby to her. The same lullaby she sang to her son.

"Mum?", she silently called.

Her Mother looked up hesitantly and Atlantis recognized the fear in her eyes; the same one she battled for years. The fear of this all being unreal, being a dream from which a person wakes up feeling repeated stabs of sharp pain in the heart.

"Mum, it's real. I'm here. I came back", Atlantis whispered.

Slowly, Atlantis pulled her Mum in another hug and that was when Helene Williams broke down. Sobbing loudly, she hugged her long lost little girl and repeated with shaking breaths exhaling her mouth "My baby…my darling baby…"

Atlantis buried her face in her Mum's hair, a lump growing in her throat and the tears breaking her down as well. There was no need for the words to comfort her Mum for she, Atlantis, was the comfort. Mother and child were reunited.

"Mum, I missed you", whispered Atlantis and her Mother showered her face with kisses, both of them crying and smiling at the same time.

Slowly calming down, her Mum gently kissed her forehead and whispered the words Atlantis heard in her dream "Welcome home, my little Atlantis."

**xxxxx**

A short coach ride took them to the house in the center of St. Louis. Once they entered the hallway, Atlantis' Father looked at the other people who came with them for the first time since they left the train.

"Oh my God, I am terribly sorry!", he mumbled and his wife instantly understood what did he mean. She too glanced at her oldest daughter accompanied by a young blond man who was carrying asleep little boy in his arms "Forgive me, young man, my manners flew right through the window", he extended his hand "My name is James Williams and this is my wife Helene."

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Williams, it's quite understandable due to circumstances", Matthew seriously replied. Shaking Atlantis' Father's hand, he said "Matthew Cooper."

"You're the one who posted an ad", Atlantis Mum breathed out, still not letting go of her younger daughter. Tears filled her eyes again "How can we ever thank you?"

"No need for that, Mrs. Williams, I'm glad I could help", Matthew replied with small, but warm smile.

"Come on in, lets sit down", Helene fussed around her guests, getting into her usual self and James and Nicole couldn't help but smile at that. James looked at Nicole "You must be deadly tired, sweetheart", he warmly said, rubbing his older daughter's back.

"I'm okay, Dad", Nicole replied with a smile "It was worth it."

By now, Helene brought cups and pot of coffee, along with the biscuits to "keep them occupied while she sets up the table for dinner".

"I'll help you, Mum", Atlantis volunteered, getting up. Her Mum smiled at her and they started to leave the room when a little silent voice was heard "Mummy?"

Atlantis silently scolded herself; with all the excitement, she totally forgot about her son.

Nicole watched as her parents both turned to look at the little child and Atlantis slightly leaned down to get her son from Matthew's hands. Readily picking his little arms up, a boy snuggled to his Mummy, his eyelids blinking tiredly as he softly sucked on his little thumb.

Atlantis gently kissed her baby and looking up, she smiled "Mum, Dad…This is your grandson Matthew", looking down at her little sunshine, she softly said "Baby, remember what we talked about? How you are going to meet your grandparents?", as a child nodded, Atlantis smile widened "Sweetie…this is your Grandma Helene and your Grandpa James."

Little boy looked up at two faces in front of him. He was half asleep when they arrived at the depot of St. Louis and now, waking up in Matthew's arms he got curious about new places and new people around him. Hearing his Mum's words, he remembered indeed how she told him that from now on he will have a Grandpa who will teach him many funny things and tell him lots of stories and Grandma who will play with him and make the meals he likes the most. Remembering those words, he shyly smiled at two people in front of him as if he was questioning them about what his Mummy told him. Will they really do all that? For him?

Helene wasn't sure anymore is she smiling or crying. For years, her life was miserable, she felt that she couldn't feel joy anymore…Now, her precious daughter was back…and she had a baby…

"Can I hold him?", whispered Helene, not knowing the nature of the child, but not wanting to discomfort him. Atlantis looked at her son.

"Darling, would you like to go to Grandma?"

Just for few seconds, little Matthew pondered this question. He watched two nice people standing in front of him. His Mummy was here, her Auntie too. And Matthew was here. They were all smiling. He saw his Mummy liked these people. There was no reason why shouldn't he than.

He nodded his little head, still slowly sucking his thumb. Atlantis leaned a bit forward her Mum and passed the little one into her welcoming arms. The moment he settled in her embrace, Helene smiled happily and kissed the boy's soft cheek, both her husband and she crying and smiling at the same time as they looked at the precious little bundle in Helene's arms.

Little boy took an instant liking of these two people as they took him in their warm arms. His Mummy was right, as always.

"We'll go set the table while you two get to know this little fella", smiled Nicole getting up and taking her sister's hand. Atlantis accepted it with a warm smile and they went toward the kitchen.

As they entered the hallway, Atlantis looked around, falling silent. Nicole noticed it and hugged her sister with one arm around her shoulders as they stopped for a while in the hallway.

"Do you remember anything?", asked Nicole.

"Kinda", whispered Atlantis. She looked at the doors around her and the stairs that led upstairs to more rooms. Squinting her eyes, she said "I think that my room was upstairs."

Nicole's smile widened "You're right!", as she said that, Atlantis' face lightened up with pure joy. Looking up as well, Nicole silently added "It is still the same. Mum and Dad didn't change a thing."

Atlantis sighed and her sister gently caressed her back. Trying to light up a mood a bit, Nicole joked "You were never the one who helped Mum in the kitchen, true, but lets see can you remember the way toward the kitchen?"

That did the trick; Atlantis laughed and playfully hitting Nicole's upper arm, she looked around…

She felt the warmth in her heart; the warmth that only a parents' home can offer. Smiling, she pointed at the doors at the left "There?", she glanced at Nicole.

Pretending to be disappointed, Nicole huffed "Smarty pants as always!", but broke to smile the next moment and nodded and two sisters ran toward the kitchen, laughing.

**xxxxxx**

The stars twinkled brightly at the sky as the snow silently kept on falling. Atlantis stood by the window, gazing into the night.

This day was pure magic. It was like she opened a magician's closet again and asked for a wish…only this time it came true. She was home. She was reunited with her family.

She looked at the people who meant world to her and smiled. Nicole and her Mum were fussing over her little son who was plainly enjoying the attention. He was giggling without a break and Atlantis smiled even more at that. It was still the most beautiful music to her ears - to hear her little boy laughing.

Her eyes stopped on her Dad and Matthew. During the evening, Nicole and she filled her parents into everything – as well as about engagement, and she was so happy to see her family accepting Matthew with so much love. He was the one who actually brought her back to them, it was impossible that they couldn't love him. Still, she was wondering what will they think of him.

But, now, seeing her Father in such a deep discussion with Matthew for a long time already, she relaxed. They hit it off right away. Every now and than, while they talked about the trial, James Williams would squeeze the hand of young blond man in front of him, his eyes shining with tears and gratitude.

"Son, I'll never be able to thank you for what you did", whispered James.

"Mister Williams, really, there's no need for that. I would do all that again for Atlantis and Matthew", Matthew honestly replied.

"I know", Atlantis' Dad nodded, wiping away his tears.

"I think that this little gentleman should go to bed", said Nicole, tickling at little Matthew's side causing him to shriek with laughter. Scooping him up, she looked down at him and asked "What do you say that you sleep with me tonight?"

"Only if you won't tickle me", giggled little Matthew.

"Oh, the temptation, the temptation!", Nicole dramatically sighed as she started to walk out of the room "I'll think about it. Now say good night", she smiled.

"Good night, everybody, I love you all", little Matthew grinned as his Aunt carried him away and broke into laughter once again as she tickled him "Heeey, not fair!", his little voice could be heard.

"We should also turn in, it's late", said Helene "I made a room for you upstairs. Your bed from childhood is in your room, it would be too small for either of you. You two can stay in guest room upstairs, first doors on the left."

"Thanks, Mum", Atlantis hugged her and her Mum whispered "He's a fine man, Atlantis. I am so happy for you", her Mum kissed her forehead as Atlantis' eyes glowed with love and happiness.

**xxxxxxx**

Closing the doors, Matthew looked at her. Atlantis unlocked her necklace and gently massaged the sore muscle in the nape of her neck. It was a long ride to St. Louis, than such a long day, filled with emotions. It took tool on her, but she was happy.

In next moment, she felt Matthew's fingers softly massaging the sore spot and she was amazed at how he knew where to apply more intensive pressure to relax her muscles. She took a deep breath in as the pain slowly left her neck. As Matthew's hands encircled her waist, she leaned into him, closing her eyes and resting her palms on his hands. Her cheek brushed against his cheek as she leaned into his shoulder and a shaking breath escaped her lips as he placed soft kisses on the gentle skin of her neck.

Her perfume was intoxicated for him and he inhaled a deep breath, his senses getting the feel of the magic she woke up in him every time she would walk by him. Matthew took his time kissing her neck and jaw line, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. Atlantis slightly moved and their lips met…

She softly moaned, warmth traveling up from her toes till her head as Matthew turned her around and pressed her closer to him, his lips never leaving her lips. Her hands joined behind his neck and shoulders and she let out another soft moan as his tongue gently entered her mouth. The way he kissed her…oh, God, she always felt like she wasn't touching the ground! The slow, lazy movements of their lips sent shivers down her spine and her fingertips brushed his neck. She could feel his hug tightening and he deepened the kiss causing her to sneak her fingers into his hair and pull him closer to her. She couldn't get enough of him, ever…

Quite some time passed before they slightly pulled away from each other, both of them breathless from the heat of their love. Leaning her forehead at Matthew's forehead, Atlantis smiled "Can I go to the bathroom first?"

He smiled at those words and teased her back "Nice one, Atlantis. Which man could say no after such persuading", as they both chuckled at their little joke, she stole another loving kiss from his lips and whispered "I'll be right back", and opened the doors of the bathroom..

After she was gone, Matthew looked around for their suitcase. Finding it, he picked it up on the bed and opened it to get their things out. He opened the closet and placed the clothes in, than set few things on a night table beside the bed.

It was in that moment that doors of the bathroom opened and he felt his breath getting caught in his throat at the sight in front of him.

The soft pink long satin nightgown, sleeveless covered Atlantis' body and her long brown hair fell down her back with some soft curls at the end. She nervously smiled, noticing his look. Biting on her lower lip, she watched him coming closer to her.

Her hazelnut brown eyes looked at him as he stopped just millimeters from her. Her breathing fastened up as he whispered "You look like an angel", as his hands touched the bare skin of her shoulders, Atlantis stopped on top of her fingers and met Matthew's lips in long, loving kiss. Breathing heavily, she whispered "I love you."

Matthew let his hands roam down the satin of her nightgown and in next moment, he picked her up in his arms. She hugged him around his neck as he kissed her, slowly walking toward the bed. Her back touched the soft pillows and Atlantis felt a shivering moan escaping her lips as Mathew kissed her again. She trembled under his touch, her heart ached for him. This was the first time they were alone in last few days…

With all the strength he had, Matthew pulled away. His breathing was far away from normal, his hands never leaving Atlantis' waist…He looked down at the woman he loved more than anybody else in the world and whispered "I love you, too", he kissed her lightly again "Don't fall asleep until I'm back", he teased her and she smiled, kissing his lips again before he went to the bathroom.

Few minutes later, he was back and Atlantis snuggled into his arms as he laid next to her. Matthew wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair as she slowly dazed off to sleep.

The clouds moved away and the moon peeked into the room with his light, illuminating the sleeping faces of a man and a woman…guarding them from the Heaven above.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The sun playfully tickled the thin skin of Atlantis eyelids. At first she tried to ignore the sun tracks, but eventually gave in and inhaled deeply, her right hand slowly going toward the side of bed where Matthew slept last night…

…Only not to found him there.

In a second, her eyes snapped wide open. She sleepily looked at the empty bed, her fingers rushing through her disheveled hair as she tried to wake up.

But, before her lips could form the sound of his name, she heard Matthew's voice behind her "I'm here."

Quickly, she turned around and saw Matthew sitting at the edge of her side of the bed. She still didn't fully wake up yet, but was aware that he was already up for few hours already as he was fully dressed, even had a coat and his boots on.

Her eyes were so beautiful in the morning while the veil of a dream still shone from them, he mused as he took in her sleepy facial expression mixing with questions in those hazelnut brown eyes.

"I went out while you were sleeping. Had to finish something", as she continued to watch him questioningly, Matthew warmly smiled "I guess that there's no need to keep you in the dark anymore", with those words, he reached into the pocket of his coat produced a small red box, adding with a loving smile "Just so I make sure your finger doesn't go away anywhere."

Atlantis looked down at his fingers and silently gasped, her palm covering her mouth as warm tears rolled down her cheeks at the sight of Matthew opening the box revealing the most beautiful ring she has ever seen in her life. The warmth swirled up her entire body as Matthew took her palm and put a ring on her finger, kissing her knuckles as he did that. Atlantis smiled through her tears and eagerly accepted his lips on her lips as he kissed her with so much love that it made her heart skip a beat. She cupped his face and slowly sneaked her fingertips down to the nape of his neck as a soft moan escaped her lips. As he deepened the kiss, she quickly removed his coat and pulled him closer to herself…

"Mummy?", little voice was heard from the other side of the doors accompanied with a knock. Atlantis felt her smile collided with Matthew's smile before they both broke into laughter.

"Come in, sweetie", Atlantis called out with a wide smile while Matthew sat back at the edge of the bed, turning toward the doors also smiling.

The doorknob turned and both Matthew and Atlantis smiled even more at little Matthew using his whole body to push the heavy doors. Little boy grimaced in doing so, but the next moment he opened his eyes fully and giving them both toothless grin, he ran toward the bed and jumped on it. Atlantis grabbed him and tickled him, not allowing him to run away. But, in next moment, she yelped in surprise as two of them united and started to tickle her "Okay, okay, enough! I surrender! Stop it!", she shrieked from laughter. As they let her go and Matthew scooped little Matthew up in his arms and left the room to get some breakfast, Atlantis sat in the bed and watched the doors closing behind them. Happily, she wiped her tears away, a small diamond glistening on her finger reminded her of the fact that this morning was the image of how is it going to be from now. She finally had everything she always wanted – a family and a home.

**xxxxxxx**

The room was breathing with the scent of red roses, her favourite flowers. Nicole and Colleen just finished with brushing her hair and applying some make up to her face. Katie and little Matthew were fussing over how to exactly throw petals of red roses; Katie was going for doing it fast while little Matthew suggested they should do it slowly as they walked down the aisle. Katie reminded him that she is his Aunt now...well, she will be soon so he has to listen to her, but little Matthew wasn't giving in and reminded her that he is still older whole three weeks and two days than she is. They got quite loud in their argument, but eventually settled down deciding that Katie should throw the petals and little Matthew will take care of the ring and that nobody steps onto Katie's dress as she walked.

Atlantis had to smile at the two of them fussing over until Dr Mike shooed them out from the room to give Atlantis some space to breath.

She looked down at her bouquet of red and white roses, catching a glow from her engagement ring. Her smile widened and she pushed back the happy tears remembering how Nicole and Colleen scolded her that she should watch out that she doesn't cry otherwise her make up will be ruined. It made her laugh again; those two silly heads already got along so well.

She slowly picked her head up and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her wedding dress was long, sleeveless, with some sparkles and lace covering it fully. Her hair was curled and graced her shoulders in a locks; she knew that Matthew loved her hair like that…

There was a knock on the doors and she looked at it, puzzled. Her Dad was supposed to come in about twenty minutes, but not yet.

"Who is it?", she asked.

"It's Brian. Can I come in?", came the reply.

Atlantis smiled "Come in, Brian."

The doors opened and she smiled at the sight of Matthew's younger brother.

"Hey", he smiled back at her "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure", Atlantis replied, looking carefully at her soon to be brother-in-law. He was nervous, she could tell that and wondered what was the matter.

They sat on the edge of the bed and Atlantis gently asked "Brian…is something wrong?"

"I…", Brian nervously rubbed his palms, looking down. Atlantis could see that something was eating on him. She got really concerned by now. She watched as he took a deep breath in and started to talk in a silent voice "I just wanted to thank you."

Atlantis creased her eyebrows "Thank me? For what?" All this time since she was back in Colorado Springs, she barely spent time with Brian, they talked on few occasions, but she couldn't remember anything significant that happened which would make him say this.

Brian looked up at her, his eyes filling with tears "For bringing Matthew back to life, back to Colleen and me. Ever since…", he swallowed hard and furiously rubbed his eyes to chase the tears away. Atlantis let him be, figuring he needed some time. After few seconds, he continued "Ever since Ingrid died, he wasn't the same. Not even with Emma. And it was…it was my fault. It was my fault that Ingrid died. If I wasn't so stupid and childish", Brian rambled on, but his voice trailed off in tears.

Quickly, Atlantis hugged him, swallowing her own tears. That was such a burden for a young boy Brian Cooper still was!

"Brian", she whispered "It wasn't your fault. It was an accident. Hey, look at me", as he slowly pulled away from her, Atlantis gently wiped his tears away in a motion like she did when her little son was upset over something and was crying "Matthew loves you very much. And he surely isn't blaming you for Ingrid's death. You can't go on blaming yourself. It's not fair to you, it will eat you down, you can't live with that, Brian", in her thoughts Atlantis already decided that she will have to talk to Matthew about this.

"I thought that he will never be happy again", whispered Brian "And what you did is…is just like magic", he silently added.

"Hey, I spent whole my life in the circus, don't you think I still have a trick upon my sleeve?", she winked at Brian and he chuckled. Atlantis smiled, seeing him calming down "Brian…There's only one magic that can heal broken people – and that is a magic of love", she was close to tears now.

"That is true", Brian smiled "And that was what I wanted to thank you for. Thank you for bringing my brother back with your love", he silently whispered. Seeing tears forming in Atlantis' eyes, he quickly said "Hey, don't cry, Colleen and Nicole will choke me like a chicken if you spoil your make up!"

That did the trick; Atlantis chuckled and getting up, she hugged Brian once again before he started to walk away from the room.

At the doors, he stopped and smiling, looked at his soon to be sister-in-law "You look beautiful."

Atlantis smiled and whispered "Thank you", and for a moment just stood there as the doors closed behind Brian.

Turning around, she faced herself in the mirror again…

She quickly wiped few stubborn tears that escaped from her eyes and made sure there were no traces of them on her face because…

Because, today wasn't the day for crying. Today was the happiest day of her life.

Warm smile graced her lips…in few minutes, she will marry the love of her life – Matthew Cooper.


	42. Chapter 42

**Thank you all for being patient and waited for this chapter. I was busy with exams, so I couldn't write it earlier. I hope I wrote it okay, would love to hear what do you think, so please, after you read, press that review button and leave me a word or two. :) The song in the end is Bing Crosby's "Beautiful Dreamer", if you want, listen to it while you read this chapter as it inspired me to write. **

**Happy New Year, everybody! :)**

**Chapter 42**

Her arm was linked with her Father's arm, happy smile gracing her lips as her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't remember ever being this happy. Not in her dreams did she imagine that her life would take such a sudden twist, bringing her back everybody she loved dearly. Now today, on her wedding day, her parents and Nicole were beside her. Atlantis was overwhelmed with emotions and took a deep shivering breath in, trying to hold back her happy tears. Her father, sensing his younger daughter's happiness looked down at her and smiled.

"Are you ready?", he gently asked.

Atlantis nodded "Yes", she whispered.

It was a fuss in front of them; Colleen and Nicole were giving the last instructions to Katie and little Matthew about the entrance to the Church. Atlantis couldn't help but smile at serious expression on the kids' faces. They were cute as buttons, they took all this so responsible and were completely into the task that was given to them.

"Okay, you two, it's time", smiled Nicole and kissing both Katie and her little nephew, she ushered them to start walking.

Matthew smiled seeing the children; Katie was so concentrated to walk in the rhythm with "Beautiful Dreamer" that Grace played on the piano that she nearly forgot to throw the rose petals. It needed a slight pull on tail of her dress from little Matthew and her "OW!" to it to snap her out of the trance. She looked at her big brother apologetically, but he winked at her and she knew she was doing okay. She grinned and grabbing the handful of petals, she threw them in the air, smiling even more as they fell back on the ground. Both kids were beaming with pride as they reached the end of the trail and sat down beside Michaela and Sully, grinning from ear to ear at the applause they got from everybody.

Colleen was the next one who walked down the aisle dressed in bridesmaid's dress and than followed Nicole who was Atlantis' matron of honour.

The sound of wedding march filled the air and everybody turn toward the doors to see the coming of the bride.

Matthew felt warmth filling his heart causing it to thump even faster as love ran through his veins at the sight of her… he still couldn't believe how the wheel of luck turned in his case. He was sure that he will remain alone till his dying day, that nothing will break the chain of his darkness. He lost so much in life…yet, now he gained so much. Matthew never took life for granted, it taught him better than that. He knew that he was given a second chance to be happy. He never thought that he will love again, but Atlantis' coming back into Colorado Springs and into his life changed everything. She gave him love he yearned for, she gave him a feeling of peace and belonging and the most important thing of all – she gave him her heart. And now he watched her as she walked down the aisle with her father, dressed in white and he knew that second that it was the most beautiful sight he ever laid his eyes on.

As they reached the aisle, James slowly lifted his daughter's veil and kissed her forehead. Gently, he laid her veil back down and joined her hand with Matthew's hand.

Atlantis stepped up the one stair that separated her from Matthew and looked at him. Her heart was full of love for this man who will become her husband in today. Ever since she laid her eyes on him for the first time several years ago, Atlantis loved him. Sure she was just a teenager back than, but it didn't change the way she felt. Something in Matthew made her feel so safe and comfortable and appreciated…she never felt like that in her whole life. Years later, the boat of life brought her back to him on the seas of destiny and love…They were destined to be together. She remembered her vision and how Cloud Dancing told her that Matthew had the exact same one like she did few years ago…

_"The spirits have shown me that Matthew's love will lead you through this. And your love for him and your son. It was their faces that snapped you out. The people you love will stay beside you through every heartache. You saw that just as Matthew did. That is why you two are meant to be with each other."_

Wise words that Cloud Dancing told her after her vision made perfect sense. She knew that her new life is starting right here, right now.

He helped her to step up closer to him and as a loving small smile he always reserved just for her graced his lips, Matthew whispered "You look beautiful, my angel."

Moved by his words, Atlantis swallowed hard to hold back the tears in her eyes, but held his palm a bit tighter. The sound of Reverend's voice snapped them both from looking at each other, but even while they listened to him, Atlantis caught Matthew stealing glances at her and she couldn't help but smile, her heart thumping loudly. She never thought that it was possible to love somebody both body and soul until she met Matthew. He filled the emptiness in her life and brought her back to happiness. She knew that she was blessed because she found him.

"Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity. Into this holy union Atlantis Williams and Matthew Cooper now come to be joined. If any among you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now or forever hold your peace", Reverend looked at the people sitting, but nobody spoke. Smiling at two young people in front of him, he continued "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"I do", James said before he took a seat beside his wife

Reverend nodded and looked at Matthew "Do you, Matthew, take Atlantis to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as you both shall live?"

Matthew looked back at his bride and smiled "I do."

Colleen and Brian exchanged smiles, their eyes full of happy tears.

"Do you, Atlantis, take Matthew to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as you both shall live?"

Atlantis was unable to hold back her happy tears anymore as she smiled "I do."

"Rings, please", said Reverend.

Nicole and Brian as matron of honour and the best man turned around to look for little Matthew who was carrying the rings. The boy readily jumped down from the bench he was sitting on beside Katie and grinning, he produced two golden rings. Nicole kissed his cheek and both Atlantis and Matthew smiled at the sheer happiness that radiated from the little boy's face. Nicole gave one ring to Atlantis and Brian gave the second one to Matthew.

As Matthew slipped a ring on Atlantis finger, Reverend's voice was heard:

"Bless, O Lord, these rings to be the signs of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other", as Atlantis put a ring on Matthew's finger, he took her hand in his hand and gently kissed her knuckles. With her free hand, Atlantis caressed his cheek. As they both looked at Reverend once again, he smiled at them and joining their right hands, he said "Now that Atlantis and Matthew have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of the rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife. Those whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder."

"Amen", everybody said.

Reverend looked at Matthew and smiled "You may now kiss the bride."

Matthew slowly lifted the veil from Atlantis' face and for a moment, the world stopped for both of them as their lips joined in their first kiss as a husband and wife. Atlantis's hands encircled around Matthew's shoulders, pulling him closer to her. As the cheers hollered around the Church, they reluctantly broke the kiss and Atlantis leaned her forehead at Matthew's forehead. He leaned down and whispered "I love you, Mrs. Cooper", and kissed her again. She smiled against his lips and as he kissed her again, she managed to steal a second of breath to whisper back "I love you, too, Mr. Cooper."

_Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,  
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;  
Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,  
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!  
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,  
List while I woo thee with soft melody;  
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,  
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!  
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!_

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea  
Mermaids are chanting the wild lorelie;  
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,  
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.  
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,  
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;  
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,  
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!  
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!


	43. Chapter 43

**Sorry for keeping you wait for this chapter so long. I had a very hard exam, studied whole February and I passed it so here is a new chapter, finally! I really hope that you will like it and would love to hear some comments as I rarely write stuff like this and gotta admit that I am quite nervous! :)**

**Chapter 43**

Everything seemed like a dream to her. The sun that shone on everybody who came to share their happiness on this wonderful day…the meadow decorated beautifully by her family and friends, band playing all the tunes she loved, Katie and little Matthew playing hide and seek with Loren who tried to wipe the cream of wedding cake of their faces – it sent Atlantis to fits of laughter as Katie startled old storekeeper while he tried to get his hands on little Matthew and Loren yelped in fear "What the tarnation!". Than there were Nicole and Colleen deep in conversation, Atlantis' parents laughing with Michaela and Sully, Brian finally going off to help Loren with those two mischiefs and catching Katie. Clapping her hands to the sound of a music, Atlantis smiled happily as her eyes caught a sight of her husband as he scooped up her little son and surrendered him to Loren's hands, laughing.

She swayed to the rhythm of the song as she left the table and walked among the people who enjoyed themselves dancing, eating and talking. She was stopped by several townsfolk who offered congratulations and best wishes to her. Her face beamed with happiness as she thanked them.

Her long dress rustled as she half – danced and half – walked to the sound of music as she neared the hide and seek playground place where Loren finally wiped Katie and little Mathew's faces and let them go. The children were now chatting about the game with Brian and Matthew and Atlantis smiled at Loren as an old man grumbled straightening up "I am getting too old for this", but the twinkle in his eyes and smile that crept up on his lips told her that he actually enjoyed every second of the game.

Atlantis joined in as she helped Loren to straighten up "They both love you so much."

Old face of the man whom Michaela called "a heart of Colorado Springs – and Atlantis now knew why – lightened up with a wide smile. He playfully fixed his tie and watching the children, he said "I knew Katie since she was born. She got me wrapped up around her pinky the first time she looked at me. And that kid of yours is no different", stuffing hands in his pockets, Loren added "You chose a good name for him. He is a good boy…just like Matthew always was."

Atlantis was lost for words. She knew everything about Matthew's life, but beside Colleen and Brian, there were barely any people who knew her husband ever since he was born. Loren was one of those few people.

"That young man didn't have it easy practically his whole life. First that scumbag of their Father abandoned them, than poor Charlotte died and all that time he never shed a tear, always kept a watchful eye on his brother and sister. Brian felt like he betrayed Matthew back when Ingrid died. To see those two boys shattered like that nearly killed me. Matthew was totally lost. Totally. He lost so much and everybody always expected him to be strong, to handle everything without a fuss. It can make a person bitter, I would know that ", Loren sniffed to hold the tears back in his eyes "But, they grew up to be good people. All three of them. Thank God that they got all genes from Charlotte and nothing from Ethan. They are all good, honest and loyal", he mused with a tone of a proud Grandfather when he talks about his grandchildren. Because that's how he saw all Cooper kids, ever since that rainy night when him and Olive got woken up to the sound of knocking at the front door. He still saw Charlotte with three children wet to their bones, baby Brian crying loudly in his Mother's arms while little Colleen was holding to her big brother, shivering from winter. Charlotte's face was tearful…but, young boy's eyes were clear and determined. Loren still remembered how he admired Matthew's strength back than…

Nodding to his thoughts, Loren looked at Atlantis and warmly smiled "He finally got what he deserved – happiness", he gently squeezed Atlantis' shoulder and with a soft smile, he slowly walked away to find Jake and Hank.

Atlantis was moved beyond words by the things she heard and her heart swelled up with love for her husband. Just few minutes ago Grace whispered to her how glad she was to see her making Matthew so happy. It was obvious that all townsfolk loved Matthew Cooper as their own child and it pained them to see him suffering from one heartache after another for such a long time. All of them saw what Atlantis did for Matthew...and what she gave him. the most beautiful thing of all - love.

She watched as Matthew walked towards her, leaving Brian with the kids and she smiled as his hands encircled her waist and he silently asked "May I have this dance?"

She nodded and as they danced, she closed her eyes, leaning her cheek on his shoulder.

**xxxxxx**

One lock of her hair fell on her shoulder, caressing the bare skin as a soft moan escaped her lips at the feeling of Matthew's fingers slowly tracing the invisible line down her neck as his lips followed. Atlantis' shivering fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt and at the feeling of his skin under her hands, she suddenly felt nervous, so nervous…

He sensed her tensing up and he whispered near her ear "Don't be scared…We'll take it ever so slowly..."

The warmth of his breath on her ear made her close her eyelids, surrendering to his sweet torture. His fingers undo her dress on the back, sending warmth through her veins as his fingertips touched her naked skin. In one move, she freed him of his shirt and her eyes opened to gaze at his blue ones, clouded with love and passion she knew mirrored hers. She inhaled a breath and he stole it with his lips as he kissed her lovingly. It elicited another silent moan from her mouth and she opened her lips eagerly and his tongue gently caressed hers. Her skin was on fire from his touch and she instinctively moved closer to his body. Her breathing fastened up from the sensations that swirled her in the ocean of his love. Her left hand caressed the nape of his neck as his lips kissed her more passionately. The fingers of her right hand crept down his chest and stomach and her legs moved a bit. She softly whimpered, loosing her breath for a second as he slowly entered her, only to close her eyes in next minute, her head falling backwards a bit as a passionate moan escaped her throat while his lips kissed the sensitive skin of her neck as their bodies moved in the rhythm of their lovemaking…

Atlantis felt beads of sweat washing her face and hair as she brought her head back up, meeting Matthew's lips again. Not in her wildest dreams could she imagined that being with him could be so perfect, so amazing, so strong, yet so gentle and loving. He left her completely breathless, aching for more and more every second and she pulled him closer to her, nearly going over the edge when she felt his tongue entering her mouth again. Her body arched closer to his, causing both of them to moan out loud as their lips never stopped kissing…

In a dim light that moon cast through the window he watched mesmerized as her eyes closed and her lips whispered his name, sending him over the edge. He hid his face in the her silky hair as she cried out in pleasure, holding him close. It was his undoing and she captured his lips with hers, catching his moans, her fingers roaming through his hair as she pulled him closer to her. Their bodies shuddered and Atlantis held onto Matthew's shoulders for a dear life as they laid spent on the bed, trying to catch a breath.

She let him pull her in his embrace and she curled up beside him, her breaths warming his neck while his fingers caressed her body, their legs still intertwined. She lazily cast her hand around his waist as the sleep won over their senses.

**xxxxxx**

"I am NOT eating this on an empty stomach, Matthew Cooper, and I am NOT having this conversation with you again", Atlantis huffed, trying to sound serious as she watched her husband dipping one strawberry in a dark chocolate.

"Come on, Atlantis, you know you want this", he teased her as he slowly brought a fruit toward her lips, deliberately causing a drop of chocolate to fall on her shoulder – just so he could kiss it away with an excuse that otherwise it will ruin her satin nightgown.

"You did that on purpose", she tried to sound offended while laughter threatened to erupt from her lungs. She licked her lips at the closeness of strawberry and took one sweet bite of it, meeting Matthew's lips at the end of it. Chuckling, she kissed the warm chocolate from his lips and mumbled "You are horrible", and she shrieked with laughter in next moment as he tickled her side while they both lazily sat on their bed.

He looked at her smiling eyes and cupping her face, he whispered "I love you, Atlantis Cooper."

Her eyes shone with love and tears and she whispered "I love you, too."


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

Milky touch of satin caressed Atlantis' skin as she slowly traveled from her slumber, sun-tracks playing on her face. She inhaled deeply in her sleep, trying to avoid light by curling up on her left hip, leaning her face into warmth of Matthew's embrace. He gently smiled looking down at his wife fast asleep laying in his arms, feeling love radiating from every atom of his being. He never thought that it was possible for him to be happy after everything he went through in his life. Mesmerized, he watched her sleeping face, knowing that he would never get enough of watching her as she slept. If fairies existed, they had Atlantis' face, of that he was sure. Angels in the heaven spoke with her voice, sun had the warmth of her heart and the rose petals carried sweet scent of her hair. On this world, there was nothing more beautiful and precious to him than his wife who made him happy beyond words.

The tip of his fingers absently caressed her upper arm and he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, sending a silent thanks to God for bringing Atlantis back to his life.

Dawn was clearing into a bright morning and Matthew watched as the sunshine cast its tracks painting the sky with orange and purple colours. Atlantis stirred beside him, hiding her face deeper into his shoulder. Lovingly, he hugged her more tightly and shielded her eyes from the sun with his palm. The world could wait a bit longer – he got everything he wanted right here in his embrace…

xxxxxxxx

She softly smiled at the feeling of his arms around her. Never in her life did she feel such peace like when she laid in his embrace. Never could she imagined how safe it felt to be held by Matthew Cooper. Never could she even start to describe how did it make her feel to wake up in the morning beside him.

She silently sighed in pleasure as she felt his soft lips gently pressed on her eyelids. Warmth flew through her body causing goosebumps to show up on her skin as he slowly kissed his way down her cheeks, finally touching her lips. Her heart fluttered as a leaf on a light breeze as the softness of his lips melted into hers while his left palm slowly lowered down her spine. Clever trick. Another sigh escaped her throat causing her lips to slightly part only to set her whole body on fire as Matthew pressed his body closer to hers, his tongue entering her mouth…

She quickly cupped his face into her palms, kissing him with all the passion and love she felt for him. She could feel how he shivered under her touch and it made her love him even more.

His fingertips sneaked toward the straps of her nightgown and she silently moaned as he slowly pulled it down, his palm caressing the area around her neck, lowering inch by inch toward sensitive skin of her breasts. She gasped in pleasure at his touch, completely loosing herself in the magic whirl of their love…

xxxxxxxx

Atlantis giggled as she watched her husband closing the doors behind the room service. When they ordered food, the plan was that one of them gets up from the bed, put on some clothes and find money to be ready once room service arrives…

"_I'll get up", Atlantis quickly put on her satin white nightgown, but just as she was about to get up, Matthew's hands stopped her. He gently caught her lower arm and playfully raised his eyebrow "Now, where do you think you're going?", with those words, he pulled her back on the bed, causing her to shriek with laughter._

"_Matthew!", she laughed wholeheartedly as he caught her wrists. Squirming, she looked at him with pure adoration in her eyes "Let me go", she chuckled._

"_Under one condition", he stated in his lawyer – tone – of voice._

"_What?", she accepted the game, her brown eyes twinkling._

"_You have to kiss me", he winked at her. She chuckled again and placed a long, passionate kiss on his lips. Once she pulled away, she looked at his palms still holding her wrists "Now will you let me go?", she smiled._

"_I don't think so", he grinned mischievously. Leaning down, he lovingly kissed her smiling lips as they both laughed. After few seconds, Atlantis broke the kiss, saying through laughter "Objection!"_

"_Don't even try", Matthew chuckled, sending Atlantis to bits of laughter. She surrendered to him completely as their kiss turned more and more passionate. His left palm sneaked upon her leg and reached under her nightgown where his fingers made slow circles on the warm skin of her hip causing Atlantis to moan in pleasure…_

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

_They both froze and in next moment broke into bits of laughter. Grabbing his dark blue pants from the bed, Matthew quickly put them on, calling out "Just a minute!" as he tried to bring his disheveled blond hair in order. _

_But before he could get up, Atlantis pulled him back down on the sheets and kissed him, her fingers running through his hair. Kissing his smile, she whispered "Don''t even try to object, Mr. Cooper."_

_He rolled her over so he was on top of her and whispered "Stay right there", quickly kissing her, he added "I'll be right back", another kiss "Just to open the doors", lingering on her lips, he whispered "I love you."_

_She gently sucked on his lower lip, aching for him again. He placed few light kisses on her lips, trying to hold at bay the heat she woke up in him again just until he gets rid of the damn room service…But, she pulled him closer to her, her tongue gently and slowly parting his lips, causing him to moan and surrender to her..._

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

_They both gasped, breaking the kiss. Trying to calm down her fast breathing, Atlantis whispered "No tip for the idiot", she felt Matthew grin and as they both laughed, he said "That'll teach him some manners", and with a smile, he got up and went toward the door._


	45. Chapter 45

**It's been a while since I updated my story or reviewed any others' ones…Real life got into way. Hope that you are still here with me and enjoy this chapter. I'd love to hear your comments about it. Thanks in forward.**

**Chapter 45**

The day was bathed in sun that warmed the streets and parks, accompanied with the little birds singing somewhere up in the high branches of the trees. Atlantis could feel her whole being being melted into that perfection of nature as she and Matthew strolled beside the river. His hand never let go of her waist, not even while they went to do some shopping. She inhaled deeply; it was good to feel like this.

The humming of the water caressed her senses like the most beautiful tune. She slightly squeezed her eyelids against the sun tracks that gently played on her face. She could feel the warmth of the green grass against her feet. _'The day was perfect'_, she thought as she gazed across the river, holding onto her hat that protected gentle skin of her face from the sun.

Suddenly, Matthew stopped by one store and Atlantis looked up to see that it was a book store.

"You mind if we go in? I wanna buy something for Colleen and Brian", he looked down at her.

"Sure, lets go", she nodded and followed him inside the store, all of a sudden growing serious as she remembered her conversation with Brian…

_"I…", Brian nervously rubbed his palms, looking down. Atlantis could see that something was eating on him. She got really concerned by now. She watched as he took a deep breath in and started to talk in a silent voice "I just wanted to thank you."_

_Atlantis creased her eyebrows "Thank me? For what?" All this time since she was back in Colorado Springs, she barely spent time with Brian, they talked on few occasions, but she couldn't remember anything significant that happened which would make him say this._

_Brian looked up at her, his eyes filling with tears "For bringing Matthew back to life, back to Colleen and me. Ever since…", he swallowed hard and furiously rubbed his eyes to chase the tears away. Atlantis let him be, figuring he needed some time. After few seconds, he continued "Ever since Ingrid died, he wasn't the same. Not even with Emma. And it was…it was my fault. It was my fault that Ingrid died. If I wasn't so stupid and childish", Brian rambled on, but his voice trailed off in tears._

_Quickly, Atlantis hugged him, swallowing her own tears. That was such a burden for a young boy Brian Cooper still was!_

_"Brian", she whispered "It wasn't your fault. It was an accident. Hey, look at me", as he slowly pulled away from her, Atlantis gently wiped his tears away in a motion like she did when her little son was upset over something and was crying "Matthew loves you very much. And he surely isn't blaming you for Ingrid's death. You can't go on blaming yourself. It's not fair to you, it will eat you down, you can't live with that, Brian", in her thoughts Atlantis already decided that she will have to talk to Matthew about this._

_"I thought that he will never be happy again", whispered Brian "And what you did is…is just like magic", he silently added._

_"Hey, I spent whole my life in the circus, don't you think I still have a trick upon my sleeve?", she winked at Brian and he chuckled. Atlantis smiled, seeing him calming down "Brian…There's only one magic that can heal broken people – and that is a magic of love", she was close to tears now._

_"That is true", Brian smiled "And that was what I wanted to thank you for. Thank you for bringing my brother back with your love", he silently whispered._

Atlantis absently walked between the shelves, not seeing the titles of the books as the pain on her young brother – in – law's face came back to her. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't even hear Matthew's voice when he got back to her, talking about the books he chose for Colleen and Brian. The touch of his palm on her shoulder snapped her back to reality.

"Atlantis? Something wrong?"

"No, no, I'm fine", she quickly explained seeing worry creating small lines on his forehead "Just need to talk to you about something when we go outside", Atlantis tried to smile to put his mind on ease, but could see that he was wondering what caused a sudden change in her behaviour and was concerned. She watched as he quickly paid for the books he bought and ushered her to go outside "What is it?", he asked as soon as they left the bookstore.

Cautiously, she started "It's, uhm…it's about Brian. Something he told me before our wedding", she swallowed hard "Maybe we should sit down."

"No, tell me", Matthew insisted, worry getting the better of him. He looked more closely at his wife's face, wondering what's wrong. Did something happen to Brian that he didn't know about? His little brother seemed fine.

"Brian is…Brian is still dealing with what happened with you two…he feels responsible for Ingrid's death", she gently added the last words.

Matthew felt cold sweat running against his forehead. His eyebrows creased "What... Still?"

Atlantis nodded "On our wedding day, he talked to me. Wanted to thank me for making you happy. And than he said that it is his fault that Ingrid died", slowly, Atlantis repeated every single word that Brian told her that day. When she finished, Matthew's face was deeply troubled. She hated to see him like that, but this had to be out. He needed to know "I tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault and that you love him very much and surely don't blame him for Ingrid's death…", she gently whispered.

"Of course I don't", Matthew breathed out, angry at himself. _'How did I miss this?!'_

"I know. But, I think that Brian needs to hear that from you", Atlantis gently said "Don't go blaming yourself because you didn't see it", she continued, guessing his troubles "You were always there for him, it is something you always did, you always took care of him and Colleen."

"But, I didn't see this", Matthew shook his head "It ate him for years and I didn't see it, Atlantis", he huffed in desperation.

"It was too painful for you to talk about it and he probably didn't want to open the wounds", Atlantis cautiously added. As Matthew's troubled look went across the river, she gently caressed his upper arm "It just shows how much he loves you, Matthew. He is older now and more aware how big tragedy that was. That is why you two need to talk about what happened. You have to talk about Ingrid."

"I was never so afraid in my life like when I saw him standing with a rifle in front of Pup", Matthew's voice was distant and Atlantis could feel how he tensed up "He could have attack him any second. I could have loose a brother as well. Still, I couldn't kill that bloody animal", he said through gritted teeth.

She intertwined her fingers with his palm and instantly felt his hold tightening. Atlantis didn't say a word. It was enough that he knows that she is here.

"And you're right; we barely talked about it afterwards", Matthew looked down at the dust on the street.

She leaned closer to him as they walked side by side "You can talk to him as soon as we get back to Colorado. It will do you both good"."

Matthew nodded and looking down at her, he whispered "Thanks."

She just smiled, somehow sadly. He saw it and softly pressed his lips on her hair, pulling her closer to him "I love you", he whispered in her hair. As she looked up at him, Matthew caressed her cheek with top of his fingers. He was so lucky to have her back in his life. Over and over again she showed how much she truly cares about him. Not that he didn't know. But, it still amazed him that she didn't mind to have him talk about Ingrid. Matthew had to admit to himself that, ever since Atlantis got back in his life, pain over loosing Ingrid calmed down. He will always remember her, of that he was sure. But, he moved on. Definitely. Atlantis' unconditional love pulled him out from the black hole he crawled in long time ago. She was a gift from God to him. She brought peace to his heart and made him feel happy again. Made him live again.

"I love you too", she silently said and leaned closer into his embrace. For a while, they walked in silence and than she slowly started to talk "The three of you have a special bond. You, Colleen and Brian. I never saw that in my life and I met lots of people who were siblings."

Matthew's lips curled up in smile "Yeah. We went through lot together. I can't imagine not having those two in my life."

Atlantis nodded and smiling, she asked: "Remember Colleen, how terrified was she to walk on that high wire? We couldn't talk her into it for quite some time. She just froze."

"Yeah, but we did talked her into doing it at the end", Matthew grinned.

"Yep", Atlantis couldn't help but giggle at the memory.

"Looks like all my hard work was for nothing", Matthew imitated Atlantis' tone of voice back than and earned himself a light kick on his upper arm from his wife.

"But, it worked!", Atlantis laughed at hearing Matthew repeating her words she said to Colleen long time ago.

"Of course it worked. We were always a good team", Matthew said in matter – of – fact tone of voice. His words warmed Atlantis' heart and she looked up at him again. His eyes shone with love for her "Thanks", he said again "For everything."

Atlantis smiled and holding her hat with her left hand, she stood on her toes and gently kissed Matthew's lips. Just before the kiss turned into a passionate one, she pulled back. They were at the street after all. She saw him trying to regain composure as well and couldn't help but chuckle again. He grinned too and raising an eyebrow, asked "Hungry?", as she nodded, he said "Come on. Lets get some lunch."


	46. Chapter 46

**First of all, I'd like to thank you all for your lovely reviews. I apologize for the wait, but I just didn't feel well. I lost a good friend, he was my mentor when it comes to writing, he was the first one who published my work. He died so suddenly at the age of 48, I was in such a shock, couldn't concentrate on anything, cried for days. Last two days I tried to catch up on the stories I follow and posted reviews and I wanna thank all the wonderful writers as they relaxed me a bit. Ever since my friend's death, I have a desperate urge to write anything, but when I sit down and try to write, it doesn't matter how much ideas I got in my head, I can't write. But, I read a book he wrote and it gave me strength and I promised to him in my thoughts that I will continue to write. So, here it is, my new chapter. I'd appreciate if you would let me know what do you think about it. Lots of love from me.**

**Chapter 46**

She heard a train whistle as her eyes rested on the landscapes that traveled behind the glass of the window. The day was slowly coming to its end, sun already packing up to leave the sky and rest on its bed behind the hills of Denver. Atlantis inhaled deeply as she snuggled further into Matthew's embrace. Instantly, his hold on her tightened and she could feel his lips gently kissing her hair. She caressed his hands that rested around her waist as she continued to watch through the window. The blue colour of the sky reminded her of her husband's eyes and she silently sighed at the feeling of pure happiness bubbling inside her chest at the mere thought that she was about to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved from the first time she saw him.

"Penny for your thoughts", his voice gently mused her senses.

"Just thinking how happy I am", she whispered watching as the sun cast the most beautiful colours on the sky wishing good night to the trees and birds "And I can't believe that our honeymoon is already finished", she sighed again.

"Yeah, days went by so quick", feeling her slightly nodding her head, Matthew kissed her hair once again, knowing just right thing to say to chase melancholy away from his beautiful wife "However, someone will be so happy to see us back."

Warm smile graced Atlantis' lips immediately as she thought of a precious face of her beloved son. Oh, how she missed her sweetest little angel and every little thing they did together; from him "helping" her to prepare breakfast – she could still see top of his tongue peeking out a bit from his mouth as he concentrated on the task that Mummy gave him; cracking the eggs and dividing the white stuff from the yellow – till the way he snuggled to her as she read him a story for good night. She couldn't wait to take her little darling in her arms again. Even in the darkest hours of her life her son was a little sunshine that could create the most beautiful colours on the dark sky of her destiny before she came back to Colorado Springs.

And she was sure that her baby boy will be so happy to see both of them back. He worshiped the ground Matthew walked on and looked up to him, she could see it in the way her son's eyes sparkled when Matthew would show up saying that he will take him fishing or sat down to play with him. Her heart swelled with love for her husband even more; he accepted her son as he was his own flesh and blood and loved him just that way. They became such a team, two of them, she couldn't count all the times they played a joke on her or made some surprise just for her; from making lunch till picking up the most beautiful flowers and putting them on her bed while she was still asleep. Matthew was such a wonderful Father to her son…Hopefully, she cast a quick glance to her stomach, wondering, wishing…hoping that their honeymoon possibly just might bring another little life in their home.

**xxxxxx**

"Dr. Mike? When will the train come?"

Michaela gently smiled at the brown – haired boy on her right side. Little Matthew was so excited and impatient today that she barely managed to finish cleaning her medical instruments when a boy decided that the time for train has come and he caught her hand, looking at her with pleading eyes. And even if there was still more than hour and half until Atlantis and Matthew's train was due to arrive, Michaela didn't have a heart not to take little Matthew to the depot.

Glancing at the wall beside Horace's office, she shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand and replied "I'd saaaayyy…about 18 minutes", she held in a chuckle at hearing little Matthew's frustrated sigh. Wasn't it 20 minutes more like one hour ago? Two minutes felt like two days to him.

Kneeling down, Michaela gently caressed little boy's upper arms "I know, sweetheart. It will come soon. I bet that they will bring you lots of presents", she tried to cheer little one up.

"I don't want presents. I just want my Mummy and Daddy home", little boy whispered causing Michaela's eyes to fill with happy tears at hearing him calling Matthew _Daddy_. She hugged him, thanking God for bringing two of them to her oldest son's life.

Few minutes later, she heard footsteps and turned around to see the rest of her family arriving at the depot. Katie was bouncing up and down as she chatted with Colleen, giggling. Her big brother was coming back home today and she spent whole morning arranging her little cups and dolls for a tea party Matthew promised her to have when he and Atlantis come back.

"It should be here any minute now", Sully's voice was heard.

**xxxxx**

"Colorado Springs!"

Atlantis felt her excitement and happiness reaching the final point as she watched the familiar sights behind the window. The train wheels turned, bringing them closer to their home. Matthew quickly took their bags while Atlantis already started to go toward the doors. He smiled at her impatience and followed her.

With a loud huff and a cloud of steam, the train finally stopped at the depot. Little Matthew and Katie's beings were fully transferred in their eyes as they watched passengers slowly leaving the train. And when they finally saw the ones they were waiting for, both kids squealed with joy and launched themselves toward the train.

While Katie bombarded Matthew with questions, little Matthew clung to his Mummy. At first not a word was spoken. Atlantis felt the lump in her throat melting into happy tears at the feel of those two little soft and warm hands hugging her tightly around her neck.

"I missed you, Mummy", she heard her little sunshine whispering.

"Oh, honey, I missed you, too", she breathed out, kissing him all over his baby soft hair, cheeks and forehead. As she kissed the tip of his nose, their identical eyes met and they smiled happily. Everything was okay now. More than okay.

"Hey, don't I get a greeting?", Matthew asked, trying to sound offended, but the smile on his face spoke volumes.

Little Matthew hurried toward him and hugged him, muttering "I missed you, Daddy. I missed you so much."

Matthew's heart stopped that moment at hearing this. This was the first time little Matthew called him like that. Tears of joy and love for this little one filled Matthew's eyes and he hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek "I missed you too, son", Matthew closed his eyes, just savouring this moment.


	47. Chapter 47

**I'd like to thank you all once again for your comforting words and lovely reviews. I am truly blessed to have you by my side. You gave me strength when I needed it to go on with my writing, something I always loved to do. Thanks.**

**Well, here's another chapter. Quite long…but, I hope you don't mind. I'd love to hear what do you think. **

**Chapter 47**

"I'll try to be back till supper", said Matthew, collecting some items he needed for the day.

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. You go on and make sure that he's okay", pausing for a bit, Atlantis gazed at him, caressing him with her hazelnut eyes "Both of you."

For a moment, Matthew just gazed back at her, lost for words. Than slowly leaning forward, he placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, taking in the sweet scent of roses that played in her hair "I love you", he whispered.

She smiled lovingly, feeling how his lips lingered a bit on her lips "I love you too."

"Kiss Matthew for me", he said, glancing at still asleep child, his hand already on the doorknob. Atlantis nodded and gave him one last smile to encourage him for today. She knew that he needed all the strength he can get and she wanted him to know that she will be with him during the day throughout their special bond that grew stronger with each beat of their hearts.

As the doors shut behind her husband, Atlantis took a deep breath in and for a moment, just stood there, thinking. Slowly picking her hair in a tail, she decided to get dressed and collect the eggs from chicken-coop.

**xxxx**

"Mr. Bray got some fine new material, we could check it out for Katie's new dress, Ma", Colleen said as she cut in her pie.

"Sounds good", nodded Michaela, sipping on her tea "She is growing like a grass, practically outgrew all the dresses she has."

"Can I have a purple dress?", Katie blinked behind her plate as she tried to feed her doll Sandy with some of the food.

Michaela smiled, placing a spoon of food back into Katie's plate "What did we say about feeding dolls, Katie?"

"Don't do it", she gave her Ma a toothless grin.

"Precisely", Michaela smiled, taking her cup again.

"But, can I still have a purple dress?", Katie pressed on causing whole family to smile at the obvious similarity between Mother and daughter. Never give up until you get an answer.

"Sure, I don't see why not", smiled Michael;a "Lets just see does Mr. Bray has purple material, okay?"

Satisfied with Mum's answer, Katie nodded and swaying her feet, she continued to eat her breakfast, but in the next second her eyes went wide opened and she smiled at seeing a person who just showed up at the doors "MATTHEW!", before anybody could stop her, she wriggled down from her chair and catapulted herself into the arms of her beloved big brother.

"Hey, Katie!", Matthew welcomed her with his arms wide opened and gave her a big hug. Looking at the table, he nodded "Good morning, everybody", as he sat down with Katie in his arms, Colleen got up to get a plate for him, but Matthew stopped her "Thanks, I already had breakfast with Atlantis."

"Is everything all right?", Michaela asked.

"Yeah, I actually came to see you, Brian", looking at his brother, he added "You got any plans for today?"

Brian looked at the rest of the family and shrugged "Not exactly. Why?"

"Good. That means you can spend some time with your brother", he added with a soft smile.

Confused, Brian nodded, murmuring "Sure."

"Can I come?", Katie pleaded, looking up at Matthew.

"Not today, Katie. But, I will make it up to you", he winked at her, kissing her soft cheek and a little girl smiled "Okay?"

"Okay", she replied.

"Good. Now, you go, finish your breakfast", he put Katie down on the floor and stood up "You ready, Brian?"

"You wanna go now?", asked Brian.

"Yeah, lets go. I got food and drinks with me, will wait for you outside till you get ready. Bye, everybody", before anybody could ask what was this all about, Matthew left the house. Nobody noticed an understanding smile that shortly played on Colleen's lips before she continued to eat her breakfast.

Slowly, Brian got up and taking his jacket, he said "See ya", as everybody waved and greeted him, he went outside, curious what was this all about.

Matthew waited for him with their horses ready to go. Seeing curious and confused expression on Brian's face, Matthew joked "Come on, little brother, I ain't gonna eat ya."

Smiling, Brian approached him and Matthew ruffled his hair just like he did when they were still kids. Mounting their horses, they sent them into a slow pace.

The day was perfect, sun warmed the ground and the tiny flowers from the grass happily greeted the warm sun tracks. Their little multi - coloured heads peeked out of the green carpet dancing on a soft breeze. In a distance, water was singing its harmonic tune mixing with the melodies that various birds delivered from their happy little souls as they greeted the sun who smiled at them from the light blue sky.

Brian looked around himself, wondering where was Matthew leading him. He trusted his brother completely, but was curious about this sudden day-trip. As they took horses toward the creek, Brian's anxiety and curiosity grew.

But, before he could utter a word, he heard Matthew's voice "Lets sit over there", he showed a shadowed spot close to creek and Brian swallowed hard, recognizing that damned place.

His hands shivered as he pulled on the reins before they reached the place "No", Brian muttered, feeling a lump growing in his throat.

With one look at his brother's face, Matthew could see that Brian remembered this place. His little brother was frozen on his saddle, all blood drained from his face.

Matthew slowly stopped his horse and gave a hand to Brian, his face calm.

Through a fog it all came back; he was sitting on the ground throwing small rocks in the water, Pup sniffing around the bushes behind him. Caught up in his thoughts, Brian didn't pay attention to him until he heard his small whine. Blood. Running home. Coming back and finding raccoon dead in the bush.

It happened here, right here, right in this very same spot where Matthew brought him.

His eyes widened in fear and anguish "Matthew, no. Not here", Brian mumbled, not recognizing his own voice.

Matthew's heart was breaking into small pieces at seeing Brian like this. He never wanted to see his little brother crying, but in order to achieve that, he had to put stop on this whole thing. He had to make sure that Brian knows that it wasn't his fault.

Getting down from his horse, Matthew approached Brian's horse Taffy and practically pulled down his little brother from it.

"Brian", he softly started "Brian, look at me", as his brother avoided his eyes, Matthew whispered "Brian…it wasn't your fault."

As those words left his mouth Brian's head quickly turned toward Matthew. For a second, time stood still. Matthew scolded himself again and again for not noticing this inner battle Brian had for years. If Atlantis didn't alert him about it, he wouldn't give it a second thought.

He knew that Brian was petrified right now and that he won't get anything out of him. He needed to talk, assure his little brother that he loves him and doesn't blame him for anything.

"I remember when Ma called Colleen and me to look at you for the first time. You were the smallest, most ugliest little thing I've ever seen in my life", Matthew tried to joke, to give Brian some space to breathe. He did produce a weak smile, few tears escaping his eyes as he gazed at Matthew. Seeing that, Matthew knew that he was on a good track "Since you managed to crawl in the back of Mr. Bray's shop, you attached yourself to my leg and wouldn't let go. Miss Olive used to say that since I was the man of the house now, you were looking up to me and that I should give you a good example. I remember Ma saying that for some time you didn't want to sleep if I wasn't around. One day I was working at Miss Olive's and storm came in, so I stayed at her place for the night. I found Ma and Colleen back home with dark circles under their eyes. Ma told me that you cried whole night. They carried you around, sang to you, tried to feed you, but nothing worked until Colleen came up with an idea to wrap you in one of my shirt. It was at the very break of the dawn and it worked, you finally shut up and fell asleep when you felt the scent of me around you", carefully, Matthew continued "Ingrid used to say that you will be a very good man when you grow up."

At the mention of Ingrid's name, Brian swallowed hard, his chin began to tremble.

"She loved you like you were her own brother. She wouldn't want you to go on and blame yourself because of what happened to her. And neither would I", he spoke slowly, giving it time to all sink in Brian's heart. Fighting his own tears, Matthew continued "I was never so scared in my life like when I saw you standing in front of Pup with a riffle! It was matter of seconds, I didn't dare to breathe as I walked toward you. Any sudden movement could be fatal, Pup could have easily attack you and I could have lost you too", the tears grew heavier and rolled down Matthew's cheeks.

"I shouldn't have bug you to go to fishing with me that day. I shouldn't have brought Pup here after you declined. I was so mad at you for no reason. Stupid kid", Brian mumbled, his voice barely audible from the sobs that shattered it.

"Brian, I broke my promise that day; I told you I will take you fishing, but I didn't. And it was an accident. And it wasn't your fault Pup got bitten."

"BUT IT WAS MY FAULT THAT HE BIT INGRID! IT WAS MY FAULT SHE DIED, MY FAULT ONLY!", Brian broke down completely and when he tried to turn around and run away, Matthew grabbed him and enveloped him in his arms, hugging him tightly. At first, Brian tried to free himself from Matthew's hold, but his brother held him with a strength of a lion. He will stop this today, he will destroy the chains of guilt that held his little brother in an iron grasp. He waited patiently until Brian's sobs turned into a small hiccups and than tried again "Ingrid decided on her own to give Pup some water. She could have said that it is far too dangerous and lead you out of there. But, she didn't. She decided to approach to Pup even after Sully warned us all not to do that. She just wanted to…"

"She just wanted to calm me down because I was nagging about it", Brian protested.

"Did you know that Pup will bit Ingrid?"

Matthew's question froze Brian. He looked up at his older brother, his role model ever since he could remember. Matthew's face was calm, not a track of blame towards him could be seen there.

"No, but…"

"Would you stop him if you could?", Matthew gently pressed.

"Of course!"

"Colleen said something that day that actually woke me up. When we found out that you went to search for Pup with a riffle, I was on the edge, saying that you're stupid kid who never listens and she snapped at me. She yelled at me that I'm not the only one who lost somebody. It was than when it finally dawned to me that you thought that I hated you and that you lost me", Matthew swallowed hard "I can't forgive myself for yelling like that at you at the wake."

"You were sad, that's why", Brian muttered, not looking away from his brother anymore.

Matthew shook his head "But, this…this is even worse. I didn't notice that you still blame yourself for Ingrid's death. It ate you for years. If Atlantis didn't tell me about your talk before our wedding... Why didn't you tell me something?", he silently asked.

"I don't know. I was afraid", Brian hesitantly asked.

Matthew creased his eyebrows "Of what?"

"Of loosing you", Brian furiously wiped his own tears "I couldn't stand a thought of that. After Ma died and when Ethan…", Brian couldn't stop now "You were always there. I couldn't loose you too", he finished silently.

"You'll never loose me, Brian. But, please, promise me that you will talk to me when something is troubling you. It wasn't your fault that Ingrid died. Please, understand that. It was an accident. Don't let me loose you because of that", Matthew's voice shivered with tears. As those words left his mouth, Brian hugged him, sobbing…But, it felt like a huge rock fell down from his heart. Brian felt like he could breathe again. And he whispered "You won't, Matthew. Ever."

**xxxxxx**

Colleen was closing in the chicken-coop when she heard horses approaching. Turning around, she saw her beloved brothers riding toward her and as she saw their faces, she smiled. She was the only one beside Atlantis who knew what Matthew planned for today, he told her about it the night before when they had some apple pie at Grace's café.

As they came toward her, she held their horses reins as the two of them went down from their saddles. She just looked at both of them, knowing without even a word that everything was alright now. Matthew and Brian both looked at her with love and Brian asked "Colleen, was I really an ugly baby?"

Collen looked at Brian surprised, but than caught Matthew's wink at her and trying hard not to laugh, she nodded saying "True horror. Wrinkled forehead, messy hair, clumsy little, ugly creature", as smile broke on her face, she added warmly "But, you were OUR clumsy, little, ugly creature", at those words, three siblings laughed and hugged tightly. Not letting go. Whatever obstacle life put on their road, they won over it. And they always will. Because they had each other forever. Because they loved each other. Because they were a family.


	48. Chapter 48

**Thank you so much for your lovely reviews, my darlings! It means a lot. I wasn't planning on even writing this chapter today, not to mention to update again so soon, but I hope you don't mind. Just a bit of Atlantis and Matthew fluff. :) I'd love to hear what do you think. **

**Chapter 48**

Atlantis tiptoed from her son's room, still listening carefully to any possible sound that would alert her that her child is disturbed. Tender as only a Mother can be. She stopped at the the doors and looked at his little sleeping form. Her lips formed a gentle smile as she watched her little sunshine sleeping peacefully. He was okay now. He was happy, safe and loved.

Picking up the brush from the night-table, she slowly started to brush her long brown hair, her thoughts wavering over to Matthew and Brian. A slight frown on her brow was result of her concern; what was going on? Was Brian okay? Was Matthew okay? Did they manage to dig into that painful spot in their hearts and clean the wounds? Subconsciously, she bit on her lower lip as she reached the bed. She laid down, putting her hair over her left shoulder and placing a brush back on the night-table she gazed through the window, but saw nothing than darkness. Who knows when will Matthew come back?

With her son sleeping, house cleaned up and dishes done, Atlantis didn't have any job left to do. So she picked up on her book to try and shorten the time until Matthew comes home…

A distant coyote's howling could be heard and Atlantis' head shot up checking to see if her son would wake up in fear. Hearing nothing, she laid down a book and got up from the bed to check on him. He just turned on his back and rested his little chubby hand at the stomach of his teddy bear, his slumber undisturbed by coyote's howl. Atlantis heart filled with love. Her son would say now that he is already a big boy now, that he isn't afraid of coyote's howling, but he wouldn't allow a living soul to take his teddy bear away from him…okay, he might just lend it to Katie occasionally.

After she made sure that her son slept peacefully, Atlantis closed the doors of her room and turned to go back to the bed, but than she remembered Cloud Dancing's words that he told her just before her vision quest...

_Coyote can tell you that somebody is coming._

Quickly, she picked up a robe that laid on the bed and putting it on, she slowly opened the doors of their home. She didn't need to ask herself who was coming. Her heart knew.

She stood at the stairs, looking into the darkness. The night was warm with a breath of soft and bit cold breeze humming in the trees. Atlantis' eyes rested at the road toward their home and after few moments, she felt her heart skipped a beat causing her smile to grow even wider.

Matthew's horse kept a steady pace ever since he left Sully's homestead. He was relieved that everything was out, said and done. This was needed, very much needed, and he was glad that Brian finally had some closure to all that. Still, Matthew being his old self promised to himself that he will check on Brian to see if he's really okay. Something like that will never slip away from him.

It was than when he looked up from the road and caught a glimpse of his wife standing at the doorway of their home…waiting for him. He felt love and happiness at seeing her, but also concern at the fact that she was barefoot and even though the night was quite warm, still she could catch a cold.

"You'll catch a cold like this", he said coming down from the horse.

Atlantis looked down at her feet and softly smiled "I won't, don't worry", she took in his facial expression; tired, but calm. "How did it go?", she couldn't hold it any longer.

Matthew nodded "Good. It was good. Thank you", last words he said held so much emotions in his voice leaving her speechless. They just stood there watching each other until horse snorted a bit, kicking the ground lightly with his front foot. Matthew glared at him and said "I'll be right back, just to put him in the barn."

Atlantis nodded and as Matthew went to barn, she crossed her hands on her chest, rubbing her upper arms a bit as the wind picked up a little and played with her brown curls. Still, she waited for her husband to come back.

He showed up after few moments and seeing her still standing at the doorway, he quickened up his pace. She watched as he climbed the stairs, the familiar sound of his boots on the wood echoed the rhythm of her heart. Lazily, he wrapped his arms around her tiny form and gazing down at her big brown eyes, gently asked 'You still up?"

"I couldn't sleep", she whispered back and in the next second felt herself melting into his embrace as he gently kissed her lips. She let out a soft squeal as he picked her up in his arms with words "Don't want those feet to get too much cold", and he caressed her lips with another kiss, so slow and loving that a shivering sigh escaped her mouth. Her lips parted, opening up to him and as she felt his tongue lovingly caressing her own, she silently moaned pulling him closer to her, wondering how could he make her feel so amazing with just a kiss?

Matthew slowly closed the doors behind him and placed his wife on the bed, never letting go of her. Emotional trip that he endured today was necessary, but left him completely worn out and he was aching for Atlantis' love. She sensed that and as she quickly took off his jacket and shirt, her fingertips slowly played against his stomach until she felt his breathing fastening up. That was when her hands sneaked on his back and she pulled him down, closer to her warmth, their lips never breaking their loving dance. Her back arched and her left hand searched for Matthew's hand as her moan was silenced with his kisses in a moment when their bodies and hearts united once again in their unconditional love…

She was so beautiful to him. The most beautiful sight he ever laid his eyes on. His lips sneaked down toward her neck kissing the creamy silky skin and than back up to her rosy lips. He could feel a life coming back into every part of his being, something that Atlantis managed to do with just a smile or saying his name. He loved how she said his name… and as if she had read his mind, she silently gasped, trying to calm down her breathing "Matthew", and in next moment closed her eyes, loosing herself in unbreakable circle of his love and passion…Loving him more and more with every second that a clock on the wall ticked…

**xxxxxxx**

Atlantis hair warmed the skin on his shoulder and upper arm as his left hand caressed the small of her back. She gazed up at him from leaning her face on his chest and lovingly smiled. Oh, how he loved that smile! _'I'll never get tired of holding her in his arms like this.'_ With his right hand, he picked up one of her palms and gently kissed each of her fingers. Her fingertips softly caressed his lips and she asked "Is Brian okay?", she snuggled closer to him and he saw concern in her eyes.

Matthew nodded "Yeah. He is. We talked it through and through. I took him to a place where Pup got bitten by the raccoon. He recognized it immediately and it just showed me the depth of anguish he fought with all this time", shaking his head, Matthew absently caressed his wife's long hair, falling silent.

"Matthew, don't do this to yourself", Atlantis gently pressed "You didn't know that he was still blaming himself. But, now you talked. And I know that you will check up on him just to make sure", she smiled at the surprised look in his eyes. _'How did she know?'_ Atlantis put her nose up a bit and playing dead serious, she explained "Woman intuition", causing him to laugh. She smiled at hearing that darling sound and moved a bit under the covers to kiss his smiling lips. After few moments she pulled away and gazed at now completely relaxed face of her beloved husband. As his hand found its way again on her back and caused her skin to tingle as he made small circles with his fingers on it, she asked "And you? How are you feeling now?"

For a moment he just watched her face taking in every bit of her beauty; long eyelashes that shaded two big hazelnuts of her eyes, small birthmark close to her ear, her lips soft and bit swollen from his kisses…_'Does she know how breathtakingly gorgeous is she?'_ – she was the most beautiful sight he could wish for early in the morning when he would wake up and just watched her sleep.

"I am so calm. Relieved. Happy", he silently replied "We went through so much together, good stuff and bad. I would do everything for two of them", he stated seriously.

"And they would do everything for you, they both adore you", whispered Atlantis. As she rested her eyes on his face, she smiled again and silently added "I am so glad to see you like this. You look so relaxed and happy."

"That's true", Matthew replied with a smile. She felt his both hands enveloping her in a hug and he pulled her closer to him "Thanks. Thanks for telling me about your talk with Brian", he whispered as she laid down next to him, her hand absently caressing his shoulder "And not just for that...Thanks for everything. You made me happy and complete", he softly kissed her hair, than her brow, slowly traveling down her face, kissing every spot, even that tiny birthmark close to her ear that he loved…to end his trip again on Atlantis' lips taking them both to paradise again...


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

Days went by under the blue sky of the Colorado Springs. Summer faded into the fall carrying colorful leaves along with it. Kids of Colorado Springs were happily running across the little bridge toward the school house.

At hearing two silent sighs from the couch placed near the window, Atlantis smiled as she slowly finished doing the hair for Mrs. Williams. Her eyes stopped at the vision of her son and Katie kneeling on the couch, their little noses pressed against the window and she barely suppressed a grin when she heard that question over and over again.

"Why can't we go to school?", pouted little Matthew.

"Yeah. We're big enough", Katie commented sadly.

Both Mrs. Williams and Atlantis smiled at two little ones. They still had two more years before they start going to school, but they were both so impatient to go right now, especially with fall coming to town and all the older kids going to the school every day, hanging around the school house, talking and playing.

"Nobody wants to play with us, they say we're babies", huffed little Matthew.

"What about Samantha?", Atlantis raised one eyebrow as she slowly put in another pin in Mrs. Williams' hair.

"Yeah, I guess she's okay", little Matthew replied as he continued to stare through the window again.

Atlantis shook her head, still smiling. For a minute, silence laid over the space until the doors opened. Atlantis looked up and smiled lovingly, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of her beloved husband. Blood ran faster through her veins making her feel warm despite the gush of cold wind that came inside as Matthew opened the doors.

"Brrr, it's getting really cold outside!", he commented, quickly closing the doors, than nodded at an older woman sitting in the chair "Good morning, Mrs. Williams", he placed his left palm at Atlantis' waist and leaned down giving her a short peck on lips, mesmerized by the twinkle in her chocolate brown eyes as he murmured "Good morning" to her. She whispered "Good morning" back, the sound of her voice sent warmth up and down his spine. To calm his racing heart, he glared at the window and smirking, asked "School blues again?", Atlantis followed his eyes and smiled again; the kids were so into staring at the school house that they didn't even notice Matthew coming in.

"If they continue this way, I will have to talk to Mrs. Slicker about allowing them to attend some classes from time to time", Atlantis joked. Looking back at Matthew, she asked "Slow day at office?"

Matthew nodded "Yeah, I thought to take these two to Grace's for some breakfast. Will you join us when you finish?", he asked.

"Yeah, I should be done in about ten minutes. You go on, take them, I'll join you as soon as I finish here", she smiled at him.

Matthew nodded and glared at the kids again. Slightly frowning, he joked "They didn't even see me coming in. Gotta say that they're worst than Brian when he got all fired up for school", he put an index – finger on his lips silently asking his wife and Mrs. Williams to be quiet and as they both nodded, he sneaked toward the couch and startled the kids. Both little Matthew and Katie gasped and than squealed when they saw who frightened them and they hung themselves immediately on Matthew's neck and shoulders, hugging him. He laughed and picking them both up, carried them toward the doors. Atlantis stopped her work for a second to open the doors for him, her eyes catching his crystal blue orbs that sparkled at the sight of her. He gave her a short, but loving kiss, lingering just for a tiny second until the wind picked up again. Checking the kids' little coats, Atlantis smiled and whispered "See you soon."

It took another ten minutes to finish Mrs. Williams' hair and the older lady got up from her chair, admiring young woman's work "It is beautiful, Mrs. Cooper, thank you", she smiled and after paying, she gratefully accepted Atlantis' help to go down two stairs once they exited.

"Thank you, Mrs. Williams, come again", Atlantis greeted her and went back inside to clean her brushes before she goes to Grace's café.

But, the second she came inside, nausea hit her and she closed the doors, pressing a palm to her lips. Closing her eyes, she leaned on the doors, trying to normalize her breathing. This was already fourth morning in a row that she felt poorly, yesterday she woke up before the dawn, thinking that she will throw up. She went outside so she wouldn't wake up her husband and son and as soon as she felt a cold morning air, she felt better.

Pouring some water, she washed her face, deciding against drinking it a bit. The mere thought of putting any drink or food in her mouth made her stomach turn around. First day she thought that she ate something bad…

But now…

Now she wasn't so sure.

As she dried her face with a small towel, Atlantis caught her reflection in a mirror on the wall and as having a will of her own, her left palm gently touched her belly.

'_Could it be?'_

The feeling that washed over her was hard to describe. Atlantis felt excitement at the thought of it, happiness and concern with a touch of fear…She wasn't sure anymore is she still able to have a baby after how her ex husband treated her during her pregnancy. Dr. Mike examined her few months ago and said that she was perfectly healthy, but still, she couldn't reason with worry that grew inside her. Yet, the thought of having Matthew's baby… _'Perhaps with his blue eyes and that smile too'_, she mused, subconsciously touching her flat stomach again. Happiness bubbled inside of her.

'_Is it possible?'_

Swallowing, she smiled at her reflection, chasing bad thoughts away, her lips creating a happy smile as she tried to imagine a perfect little baby boy or girl with Matthew's sparkling blue eyes. She could see its face and her eyes shone with happy tears. Quickly, she looked around for her coat and silently deciding that she'll go to see Dr. Mike soon, she closed the doors and went toward Grace's café.

As she stepped down on the street, Atlantis heard somebody greeting her and as she looked up, she saw Teresa and Jake smiling at her. She smiled back "Good morning."

"Good morning, Atlantis. You're going to Grace's?", asked Teresa, holding her shawl closer to her neck as the wind played with the leaves picking them up from the ground in a magical dance.

"Yes, I am", replied Atlantis.

"We are going too", she smiled as they all continued toward Grace's café.

"How's business going?", asked Jake. Atlantis still remembered his reaction when she said that she will do hair for women of Colorado Springs and smiled at the memory. During time, she and Jake came to an understanding and he became kind as soon as he realized that she won't be taking in his customers.

"I can't complain", Atlantis admitted and smiling, she added "Katie and Matthew are so eager to start the school, Mrs. Slicker, I'm afraid that you might find them one day in a classroom without even knowing about it."

Teresa smiled "Well, that's wonderful to hear that they're looking forward to school so much. And if they come some day, don't worry, it will be perfectly fine."

They reached the Grace's and Atlantis swallowed hard as the scent of the food hit her with nausea again. Somehow she said goodbye to the Slickers and looked around for Matthew and the little ones.

She smiled at the sight in front of her; Katie paraded around the table, pouring some water from her little glass in Matthew and little Matthew's cups. Atlantis tiptoed and slowly sat down beside her husband, enjoying watching Katie so into the role of a host. Matthew leaned toward his wife and whispered "I promised her a tea party."

"No talking at the table, Matthew, until tea is served", Katie stated seriously, shooting her big brother a look.

"Right, sorry", Matthew accepted, pulling on an apologetic look "Can I still have some sugar in my tea?"

Katie shook her head "No, it's not healthy. Here, have some honey", she handed him a little cup which was empty, but Matthew played along and took a little spoon pretending like it's full of honey, dig into a little cup with it, than placed it in his cup.

"You sound more and more just like your Ma", Atlantis smiled at the little girl and earned herself a big grin from Katie. Moving over toward her, Katie placed a little cup in front of Atlantis and asked "Is chamomile fine for you?"

Atlantis nodded "Just what I need."

"Honey?", Katie asked.

"No, thank you. No sugar either", smiled Atlantis.

"See? Atlantis knows that it is good to drink chamomile tea without sugar or honey, Matthew", Katie criticized her big brother causing him to nod, pretending to be ashamed.

"Yeah, I guess I should follow her example", Matthew winked at his wife daring her to smile.

She did and commented "Well, it's good when you have upset stomach."

Something in her tone of voice told to Matthew that she wasn't joking about this. As Katie went toward little Matthew to pour some more "tea" in his cup, Matthew took in his wife's facial expression "You all right? You look kinda pale", he said, his brow slightly creasing with worry.

It never ceased to amaze her how insightful was he. He could tell when she was sad, worried or didn't feel good without her uttering a word about it.

"It's probably nothing, I just feel a bit poorly. I must have ate something bad", said Atlantis.

"You should go to see Dr. Mike", Matthew seriously said.

Atlantis nodded "I will."

"We'll go after the breakfast, I think she's free this morning, no patients", Matthew said. Seeing that Atlantis tried to protest, he shook his head and said "No argue, we're going. Or do you want me to go crazy from worrying?"

Her heart melted and Atlantis leaned her forehead on Matthew's forehead, closing her eyes to feel the light touch of his lips on her lips the very next moment. She silently sighed, accepting the kiss. As he slowly pulled away, Atlantis nodded "Okay, I'll go."

**xxxxxx**

Michaela was sitting behind her desk and read the newest medical journal she got two days ago when the doors opened. Looking up, she smiled "Atlantis, Matthew, good morning. What brings you here?"

"I'll take the kids upstairs", Matthew said and giving Dr. Mike a peck on her cheek for good morning, he ushered Katie and little Matthew through the doors, leaving Atlantis and Dr. Mike alone.

As the doors of the backrooms closed, Michaela looked at her daughter – in – law. Noticing her pale face, Michaela asked "Are you all right, Atlantis? You don't look so well."

Taking a deep breath in, Atlantis slowly started to talk "I don't know, Dr. Mike. I don't feel well lately", as she collected her thoughts about how she felt, Atlantis was more and more sure about her condition. The symptoms were there; nausea, change of mood, an urge to cry for no reason and craving for the strangest food combination. The tears filled her eyes under concerned look of Dr. Mike "I feel weird, changing mood, sick for already few mornings", she looked up at Michaela's eyes and could see that the words dawned on her "I am not sure, Dr. Mike…and I know that you said that I am all right, but I am so scared. I want this more than anything, but…", by now, tears started to roll down Atlantis' cheeks. Michaela quickly hugged her, feeling happiness bubbling inside of her at the possibility…

"Don't be scared, Atlantis. Come on, lets have a look."

Atlantis obeyed, went beside the curtain and laid on the examination table while Dr. Mike took the needed instruments.

She barely breathed while Dr. Mike examined her. Not from the fear, though…happiness and impatience overwhelmed her…what if she was pregnant?

The doors of the backrooms opened and closed and in a moment when Dr. Mike stood back up, Matthew showed behind the curtain, his face worried. Atlantis sat on the examination table and both looked at Dr. Mike. Michaela smiled widely and confirmed "Congratulations. You're pregnant, Atlantis."

Atlantis gasped, big smile dancing on her lips as her eyes stopped on Matthew's face; just for a second he was speechless, frozen, surprised…than she witnessed the most beautiful transformation of the face of a man she loved with whole her heart; his face practically glowed with smile and happy tears shone in his eyes as he mumbled "Ma…are you sure?"

"Absolutely", Michaela nodded, smiling happily.

"Oh, my God!", Atlantis gasped with smile, her palms joining in front of her mouth as she blinked away happy tears. She looked at her husband again and whispered "Matthew..."

He came closer to her and smiling, he mumbled "We're gonna have a baby!", in next moment, he picked her up from the examination table so quickly that she squealed in surprise and holding her tightly in his arms, he exclaimed happily "ATLANTIS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY!", he swirled her around, kissing her hair as she held tightly for him, both of them laughing. When he stopped and put her down, Matthew kissed her face and lips and Atlantis accepted the kiss, their tears of happiness mixing. Lingering on her lips, he whispered "I love you, Atlantis. I love you so much!"

Crying and laughing at the same time, Atlantis silently mumbled "Oh, Matthew, I love you too! So much!", and with those words, their lips melted together greeting the little life their love created.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Atlantis held tightly on Matthew's shoulders with her shivering hands, feeling like her heart will jump out of her chest from joy. Warm tears of happiness washed her cheeks as Matthew's arms pulled her closer to him and she leaned her face in the warmth of his neck. As his palm gently caressed her cheeks, wiping the tears away, Matthew looked at Dr. Mike.

"How far is she?"

Michaela warmly smiled at the sight of her son holding his wife, his arms gently pulling her closer and closer to him every second "About month and half, I believe. Everything looks perfectly normal", Michaela was aware that Atlantis was worried because of her health, so she rushed to assure her that everything is just fine "Now, Atlantis, I know that you're afraid because of your first pregnancy and everything that happened", Michaela noticed a shadow passing over Matthew's face and she saw how he gently kissed Atlantis' hair to tell her without words that he's here for her; for better, for worse, in sickness and in health – just like they vowed to each other. Atlantis swallowed hard and nodded. Michaela continued "There's nothing to be afraid. There's no damage. If it was, you wouldn't be able to conceive anymore. We will monitor your pregnancy carefully, don't worry. But, I assure you that you're perfectly healthy and able to have children – lots of them."

Atlantis caressed Matthew's arms that rested around her waist and whispered "Thank you so much, Dr. Mike", as a breath of relief left her, she gazed lovingly at the happy face of her husband and smiling, she said "I wanna send a telegram to Nicole and my parents. And lets have a dinner at our place tonight", as Matthew nodded, he addressed Dr. Mike "Will you tell Sully and Colleen and Brian to come to our place tonight?", chuckling, he added "Lets hope that I won't run into my brother and sister in the street, I won't be able to hold back not to tell them!", as all three of them laughed at that, Atlantis said "Well, than lets go home!"

"Matthew is with Katie at Loren's, I'll pick him up and bring him this evening. You two have some time alone", suggested Michaela.

"Thanks, Dr. Mike", Atlantis hugged her and whispered "For everything."

"Thank you, darling", Michaela silently mumbled and Atlantis knew what she meant. Whole family saw her as a true blessing in Matthew's life. Coming back to Colorado she brought a sunshine back in Matthew's heart, picked him up from the bottom and step by step pushed him back to the surface of life where he breathed the air deeper than he had in a long time.

Smiling gently at Dr. Mike, Atlantis waited until Matthew said his good bye and than they left the Clinic, feeling like they could carry the whole wide world on their shoulders. The wind that was howling around them didn't bother to enamored couple. Matthew hugged Atlantis around her waist with one hand and she leaned her head on his shoulder as they went toward the livery.

"Hello, Robert E. , Grace", Matthew greeted their friends, accompanied with Atlantis' "Hello". As the older couple greeted them back with a smile, Grace slowly raised one eyebrow and asked, mischievous smirk playing on her lips "You two look like you just won the lottery."

"Hmmmm, you could say so", Matthew joked causing Atlantis to chuckle.

Grace crossed her arms, smiling even more as she tried to figure out what was this all about.

"It's a highly confidential issue", Atlantis pulled on her serious face "Until tomorrow."

"You definitely married a lawyer", Robert E. shook his head, smiling and all four of them laughed. Matthew pulled Atlantis close to him, hugging her with both his hands and looked at his friends "I gotta take my wife home. Can you get the wagon, please?"

"Coming right up", Robert E. wiped his hands on a cloth and went to get Matthew's wagon and a horse.

"You two are so mysterious", Grace pretended to be insulted "Fine, I'll leave you till tomorrow. I gotta go, got some new customers. Bye."

"Bye, Grace", both Atlantis and Matthew greeted her. Robert E. brought their horse and wagon in that moment and wishing them a safe trip home, he went back to his work.

**xxxxxxxxxxx**

"You are horrible, Matthew Cooper", Atlantis chuckled as her husband placed quick, but loving kisses on her lips, preventing her from going to setting up the table. Kissing him back the same way, Atlantis joked "I still have to finish the salad…Matthew", she smiled against his lips and the warmth exploded inside her as Matthew gently pushed her toward the counter, blocking her way out with putting his hands on the both sides of the counter, capturing her, his lips lazily moving over hers. Atlantis let out a shivering sigh, dropping the vegetables she held in her hands and loosing her fingers in Matthew's dark blond hair in next moment…

Her breathing grew heavy as his body pressed closer to her own, causing her hands to slowly go up and down his back, than sneaking her fingertips over his shoulders and neck, knowing that those movements always send him into the frenzy… She wasn't wrong. She could feel his lips parting at that expert touch and his tongue entered her mouth next moment, exploring its sweetness and Atlantis silently moaned. One hand still sneaked around his neck as her other hand reached down to the buttons of his shirt, eagerly unbuttoning them. She needed to feel the warmth of his skin, needed to get lost in his love…As he continued his loving onslaught on her lips, Atlantis used both of her hands and released him from his shirt in one quick movement. She threw it on the floor and pulled Matthew closer to her, the feeling of his naked skin setting up a flame inside her body. One of his hands sneaked down her back…slowly as a thief in the middle of the night. His lips kissed a soft, gentle skin somewhere between her ear and neck and it caused her head to fall back as she closed her eyes, a sigh escaping her lips. Atlantis could feel her consciousness getting foggy as Matthew kissed the place where her heartbeat could be felt, in the deep valley of her decolletage. Her knees almost betrayed her and she held for his shoulders… Matthew knew what that meant and slowly kissed his way back to her lips, not rushing, taking time to linger on every spot that he knew will set Atlantis on fire…As he came back toward her lips, he pulled back a bit, his breath warming the red petals of her lips…Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked at him as she whispered "Matthew…". His eyes turned to dark blue from the passion and love at hearing her sweet voice uttering his name and he gently wiped small drops of sweat from her forehead, whispering "I love you, Atlantis", kissing her lips the second later, his hands now expertly working on the laces of her dress…The moment his hands touched her naked skin, Atlantis felt her legs betraying her and she moaned against his lips, catching his hand on the counter and intertwined her shivering fingers with his own…As his other hand roamed over her body and touched the sensitive skin of her breasts, Atlantis whispered "Matthew…Make love to me", as those words left her mouth, he picked her up in his arms and carried her toward their bedroom, never stopping kissing her…

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Her eyes glared at the clock on the nightstand and Atlantis hid her face in Matthew's shoulder "We have to get up", she said "They'll be here in an hour", she inhaled a sharp breath to stay focused as Matthew's palms started to roam again over her back. She hovered slightly over him, her brown locks falling on his cheeks as she leaned down to kiss him. When she felt him trying to pull her closer, she collected all her strength to pull back and smiled "Get. Dressed. Now", she smiled widely as he pouted and played along "We can ask Dr. Mike and Sully to watch over Matthew tonight."

"Now, that's a good idea", Matthew smiled at her and they both chuckled, reluctantly getting up.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Matthew, can you open the doors?", Atlantis looked up from the table, lighting up the candles. She smiled at her husband as he took in a deep breath and opened the doors with a smile. She put out the match and looked up, smiling as she saw Colleen entering with little Matthew in her arms, followed by the rest of the family.

"Were you a good boy to your Aunt Colleen?", smiled Atlantis, taking her little son in her arms. As a child snuggled to her embrace, Colleen nodded with a warm smile "He was the best. We had so much fun, didn't we, Matthew?", she warmly smiled at her nephew as a child eagerly nodded his head and started to inform his Mum about the day.

"Wow, what's the occasion?", asked Brian as he saw all the food and the way the table was decorated. Quickly, he went over the birthdays in his head, scared that he forgot, and let out a small breath of relief when he realized that it wasn't the case.

"Well…", Matthew looked at Atlantis, raising his eyebrows, the impatience getting better of him. She nodded, smiling widely "Yeah, we can tell them now", she replied to his unspoken question.

Michaela smiled at the confused looks from the whole family. Matthew went toward Atlantis who still held their son in her arms. With one hand around her waist, Matthew looked at his family "We invited you because we wanna tell you something", he stopped his eyes on Colleen and Brian who sat next to each other, wishing that his Ma could be there as well. Atlantis saw the sadness running across his eyes and knew instantly of whom was he thinking. She took his hand and gently squeezed it, letting him know that she is here. Matthew looked at her and smiled thankfully.

"Oh, tell us already!", Collen jokingly huffed, she and Brian shaking her heads at their brother. Matthew smiled at them and said "Well, you two will become Aunt and Uncle again", as Colleen and Brian gasped, Atlantis added with a smile "I'm pregnant!"

Colleen and Brian both screamed from happiness and jumped out of their chairs, running toward Matthew and Atlantis, nearly knocking them down. Colleen hugged her older brother tightly, holding onto him for a dear life and Matthew hugged her back "Congratulations, Matthew", he heard her whisper. As he looked down at the tearful face of his sister, Colleen added "Ma would be so proud of you. And so happy."

This caused Matthew to hug his sister again and he whispered "Thanks, Colleen."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Matthew closed the doors after his family and turned to see Atlantis standing near a fireplace, holding something in her hands. He slowly went toward her and she looked up at hearing his steps.

"She would be so proud of you", Atlantis whispered. Looking down, she caused Matthew to look at her hands and his eyebrows slightly creased as he noticed a small package in her palms. "It's for you", she handed him a small package, wrapped in a light blue paper "Open it."

Matthew took the package and unwrapped it revealing a photo frame…with a photo of a young Charlotte Cooper. His eyesight blurred…he never even saw this photo of his deceased Mother. Looking up, he tried to utter a question, but the voice wouldn't come out. But, Atlantis understood.

"Mr. Bray gave it to me. He found it while he was cleaning the room of his late sister Olive. He said that it took him years to clean her room of her stuff and he found a photo of your Ma in one of the drawers. Mr. Bray told me that it was taken when she was expecting you", by now, she came an inch far away from her husband and gently wiped the tears of his cheeks "I am sure that she is watching over you, Matthew. I wish that she could be here with us."

From the smiling, radiant face of his Mother on a photo Matthew looked at the understanding face of his beloved wife Atlantis. His hand took a hold of her palm and kissing the inside of it, he whispered "Thank you so much. I… I never even saw this photo of Ma…", tears silenced his voice and in next moment, Atlantis gently whispered "Come here", she pulled him in her arms and hugged him tightly…sending a silent promise to Charlotte Cooper that she will love her oldest son forever. That she will take care of him. For better, for worse, in sickness and in health. _'Rest in peace, dear Charlotte. I will watch over Matthew for you.'_

Outside, the stars shone brighter and the leaves hummed their evening song. As the moon shone over the road, a little bird flew into her nest under the roof of Matthew and Atlantis' home. She let out a last cheerful sound and hiding her little face in the soft feathers of her wings, she closed her eyes and fell into the sleep.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The sun warmed down on the ground, gently caressing the little heads of the flowers that danced on the golden tracks that their friend sent from the sky. The air was warm and thick, summer was in its full power causing people to hide in the shadows of their homes. Placing a pitch full of freshly made lemonade on the table on the porch, Atlantis squeezed her eyes against the sun, gentle smile playing upon her lips. She poured a glass of it and took few sips, enjoying the feeling of coolness and refreshment it brought to her senses. She moved slowly toward the fence and leaned her palms on it, gazing into the forest near by. The green colours of the trees rested her eyes and she inhaled a deep breath in, gently caressing her swollen belly.

A flashlight of the light brown flew beside her and she heard the voices of the little birds. Turning around, she looked up at the little nest under the roof of their house; the bird flew down on the edge of the nest to meet two little beaks that opened widely. Atlantis smiled at seeing a bird feeding her young ones and in that moment little footsteps were heard. She glanced at the doorway and smiled at her son "Matthew, come, come quickly!", as her little boy rushed toward her, Atlantis showed him the nest "Look. A Mum bird is feeding her little ones. See how that one wriggled to get the food?", as her son nodded his head and laughed happily watching the birds, Atlantis placed her palms on his shoulders and smiled. Life was so good.

One little bird opened its little beak wider as if it was yawning and hid its little head in the soft feathers on its belly, looking like a little ball. the other one followed the example of its sibling and silently chirping their song, they closed their little eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"They're gonna sleep? But, it's a middle of the day!", said little Matthew.

"They're still very young. After they eat, they always go to sleep", Atlantis smiled at the words her little son said "Come on, lets have a lemonade", she ushered him toward the table and poured him a glass of cool liquid.

Taking few long sips of the refreshing lemonade, little Matthew looked up at his Ma, his small feet dancing through the air as he sat on the chair "Will our baby be the same like those little birds?", he asked, causing Atlantis to smile warmly again.

"Yeah. Especially at the beginning", she replied, pouring more lemonade into her son's glass.

"I'll help you, Mummy", a child smiled, eager to fulfill his promise. Atlantis heart melted and she caressed his soft brown hair "I know. You are my big boy now", she leaned down and kissed her son's cheek.

"When is Daddy coming home?", little Matthew asked as he took another long sip of the lemonade.

"In the evening. He has to finish some work in the office. What do you think that you and I make a dinner for Daddy? Will you help me?", she asked and smiled as little one nodded eagerly "Come on, lets go inside, have some rest and than we will start cooking", she said, deciding that it was too hot on the porch. Her legs hurt and her forehead was bathed in sweat.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Now, I'm gonna put some jam on it and you're gonna roll them like this", Atlantis showed her little boy how to roll the mixture and he nodded, smiling. She smiled warmly at him and enjoyed watching him having so much fun as he helped her to make the dinner. They were through half of the mixture for biscuits when they heard a voice saying "What are you two up to?"

"Daddy!", little Matthew squealed and catapulted himself into Matthew welcoming arms.

"Hey, big boy!", Matthew smiled, picking up the child. Giving him a kiss on a cheek, he looked toward the mess on the table "What are you making?"

"Biscuits! Dinners is ready and we are making something sweet now to have after we eat the vegetables and meat. I am helping Mummy so she doesn't have to stand for long", little Matthew said, wriggling down to get back to his task.

"You're home early", Atlantis smiled, accepting Matthew's kiss, not missing a concerned look in his eyes after their son's words.

"Your feet hurt again?", Matthew asked, gently rubbing her sore back, relaxing her body immediately. She nodded, enjoying his movements at her sore back.

"I feel like an elephant", she murmured. He came closer to her and jokingly whispered "But, you're my elephant", as Atlantis playfully kicked him on his upper arm, they both chuckled. "Why don't you go get some rest? We'll finish here", Matthew suggested, giving her no chance to protest by gently kissing her lips and added "We'll call you once we set up the table. Go on, lay down a bit."

Atlantis nodded gratefully; she was indeed tired. It was harder and harder for her to stand and she definitely was heavier than during her first pregnancy, her belly was bigger than the first time. Leaving the kitchen, she went toward her and Matthew's bedroom and sighed in relief as she laid down. Tomorrow she'll go to see Dr. Mike for a check up and hopefully hear their baby's heartbeat for the first time. With those thoughts, she closed her eyes, smiling. In next few moments, tiredness won over and she fell into a sleep.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Michaela smiled as she checked Atlantis' heartbeat and than asked "Shall we listen to the little one?", receiving a nod from both her daughter – in – law and son, Michaela moved the stethoscope toward Atlantis' belly and listened carefully. In next moment, her eyebrows creased a bit, her face growing serious.

"Dr. Mike?", Matthew asked, seeing her facial expression "What is it?", he felt Atlantis' fingers squeezing his palm and they shared a worried look. Michaela waved her fingers a bit signalling them to be quiet as she listened intently through her stethoscope. The clock on the wall ticked, making seconds feel like an eternity. Atlantis could feel her lips going dry from the worry as she watched a face of her doctor "Dr Mike?", she silently called.

"What is it, Dr Mike? Is everything all right with the baby? Can you hear the heartbeat?", Matthew was beside himself from the worry and Michaela looked up at two of them, smiling widely.

"Actually…I can hear **two** heartbeats in there", she said through a smile.

Atlantis gasped, loosing her breath for a second "Two?", she breathed out, her heart thumping faster the next moment at this news. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely", smiled Michaela. Handing a stethoscope over to her son, she said "Go on, check for yourself", she slowly moved her stethoscope across Atlantis' swollen belly and watched Matthew's face as it transferred from worried to surprised and than blissfully happy in the matter of seconds.

"I can hear them", he mumbled, his whole face smiling as he looked at his wife "Atlantis, I can their heartbeats!", with his shivering fingers, he handed a stethoscope to Atlantis and she accepted it. Holding her breath, she listened carefully and than, as Matthew cupped her face in his palms and showered her face and lips with kisses, she laughed and cried in the same time "Two babies!" she hugged her husband around his neck, lovingly kissing him back.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"We'll be home before the night", Nicole waved at her brother – in – law and sister and rushed to catch up with her little nephew. It was almost the ninth month of Atlantis' pregnancy and she came together with her parents to be there for her. Today, Dr. Mike and Sully invited them for a lunch and they all agreed except Matthew and Atlantis. It was very hard for Atlantis to move around even for such a short trip if it wasn't necessary. And even if she would want to go, Matthew would stop her. Atlantis watched him closing the doors behind her parents, Nicole and little Matthew and she sat down in her armchair, adjusting the pillows, casting him a smile. He was so gentle and supportive through these nine months. Her due was in two weeks and he didn't allow her to do anything at all. She couldn't count all the times he brought her breakfast to bed, massaged her feet and back to help her relax, let her sleep in while he took care of their son and prepared a meal for them…He was so loving and caring.

She still remembered when the babies kicked her for the first time; she called out to Matthew who was in the barn feeding the horses and he practically flew in the house, thinking that something was wrong. She'll never forget the smile that lit up on his face as she took his palms and quickly pressed them on her belly. His eyes filled with tears at the feeling of their babies' kicks and Atlantis felt her heart swelling up with love for him. He kissed her long and passionately, setting her whole body on fire.

She rocked slightly in her armchair , feeling her sore muscles relax under the gentle swings. Seeing her adjusting one little pillow and grimacing, Matthew asked "Your back hurt?"

"Mhm", Atlantis nodded, too much in discomfort to utter a sensible reply. Swinging in the armchair didn't help for long.

"Lets get you to the bed, it will be easier when you lay down", Matthew came toward her and Atlantis accepted his hand, silently agreeing with his suggestion. She grimaced again as she got up and letting out a deep breath, Atlantis opened her eyes and looked at her husband "It never hurt like this before", she leaned on Matthew and grumbled "Look at my feet. I look like a duck."

"In that case, you're the cutest duck I ever seen. Not to forget that you're my duck", Matthew joked and Atlantis laughed, playfully kicking him and in that moment sharp pain shot through her body, causing her to gasp.

"Atlantis?", Matthew looked down at his wife as she practically doubled over in pain "Atlantis, what is it?"

"Oh, my God!", Atlantis silently gasped "My water just broke!"

"What?!", Matthew tried not to panic.

"Matthew, I'm scared. Go see if Nicole is still here, tell her to ride and get Dr. Mike", Atlantis mumbled through tears.

Realizing that Nicole and others are far gone by now with the horses and a wagon, Matthew focused back on his wife "All right, take it easy. Lets get you in the bed. Lean on me", he could feel that Atlantis was in panic and he soothingly said "Don't worry. Everything will be okay. Come on, few more steps", reaching the bed, he pushed the covers and helped Atlantis to lay down, mentally preparing himself for what was about to come. Growing up beside his Ma who was a midwife, than later on listening to Dr. Mike and Colleen, he knew what he had to do. But, first, he had to try to calm Atlantis down. It will do no good to babies if she goes into a panic now "Atlantis, Atlantis, listen to me! Don't be scared. I know what to do. I talked to Dr. Mike and got prepared in case I had to deliver the babies. I asked her about it because she gave a birth to Katie in the woods, Sully delivered the baby. I got everything here, just…try to breathe and relax", adjusting pillows behind her back, he wiped her tears away "Nicole is gone, it's too late to get her back", he looked at her eyes and gently kissed her forehead "Trust me. It will be all right, I promise. I won't allow anything to happen to you or the little ones. All right?", as she nodded, he gently smiled "All right. Try to breathe like Dr. Mike told you to while I go get the things we need."

His soothing voice washed over her senses and Atlantis nodded, slowly coming down. She can do this. **They** can do this.

As Matthew came running back with everything needed, she smiled at him. He was her anchor, her steady rock and she felt herself calming down, paying attention to her breathing.


	52. Chapter 52

Thank you all soooo much for your lovely reviews, you made me so happy with them so I decided not to let you wait for too long and so…here is a new chapter where the twins are born! :) Chapter 52

Her fingers grasped the sheets, squeezing them tightly and Atlantis screamed in pain. Exhausted, she fell back on the pillows, trying to catch a breath. Her hair was completely wet from the sweat. She felt like she will fall apart from the pain "I can't", she silently sobbed "I can't…"

"Yes, you can, Atlantis, yes you can! Come on, push!", Matthew tried to encourage her and she obeyed, grimacing and crying out in pain. "I can see the head!", she heard Matthew's voice and for a second, the pain was forgotten as his words dawned on her. She caught his eyes for a moment and smiled, feeling how he gave her strength…"Okay, I can do this", she took few breaths in and gave another push. Yelping in pain, she collapsed on the bed again, her body shivering from exhaustion "That's it! The shoulders are out!", Matthew exclaimed "One more, Atlantis, one more, come on, darling, you can do this!"

She supported herself on lower arms and elbows and the world broke in million pieces in front of her eyes as a sharp pain crushed her body and made her scream loudly, her eyelids tightly squeezing shut. Gasping for air, she suddenly heard little muffled sobs of a newborn baby and as her lashes fluttered, opening her eyes, she heard her husband's voice "It's a boy!"

Atlantis opened her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks as she laughed happily watching Matthew cleaning their little baby, cutting the navel cord and wrapping the little one up. She knew this wasn't over yet, she knew that the other baby had to come out too, but at this moment, she felt like the strongest and the most happiest woman ever. Pulling herself up a bit on the pillows, she extended her shivering hands toward the bundle in Matthew's hands, crying even more as she saw tears on her husband's face.

Matthew felt like something broke inside of him as he gazed at the lightly pink face of a baby in his arms. Their newborn son opened his eyelids and identical crystal blue eyes glared questioningly at Matthew, completely disarming him and he broke down in happy tears "He has my eyes!"

Atlantis' heart thumped faster and she happily laughed while Matthew went toward her and placed a baby in her arms "Say hi to your Mummy", Matthew whispered.

"Heeey", Atlantis smiled as one little hand jumped up from the bundle and she gave it a gentle kiss, admiring the perfection of it. She felt Matthew wiping her tears away and she looked up at him, inviting his lips. He leaned down and kissed her, their tears and smile fading into one. As they both looked back down on the baby in Atlantis' arms, she whispered "Oh, Matthew…he's perfect", she slightly grimaced at the feeling of pain coming back to her and she swallowed hard "Take him…", she closed her eyes and Matthew understood. Slowly, he took their son from Atlantis' arms and quickly put him down in one of two cribs near by. Turning back, he knew it was time. He took away several locks of Atlantis' wet hair from her face and kissed her forehead. She caught his right hand and kissed the inside of his palm, sobs coming up from her lungs. Atlantis opened her eyes, and Matthew could see fear in those hazelnut orbs "Don't worry. It'll be fine", he wiped her face and neck with a cloth and she slowly started to calm down "Trust me."

She nodded and positioned herself lower on the bed, taking few deep breaths in. Her legs trembled and she cried out in pain. Another push…the world started to spin around and Atlantis felt fresh new tears rolling down her cheeks. She opened her eyes and saw that Matthew's face turned into deadly serious "Matthew? Matthew, what's wrong?", she gasped. He didn't reply, just fumbled with the instruments on the bed beside him and that set Atlantis into a panic "Matthew, tell me!"

"The cord", he said, not looking up "It's wrapped around the baby's neck. I have to cut it", Atlantis gasped in fear, but Matthew quickly said "Don't worry. This also happened with Katie. Sully told me how he did it. Just stay calm. I promise you, it'll be fine."

Whole Atlantis' being transferred into her eyes. Matthew took the scissors and supporting a baby's head, he quickly picked up a cord a bit and cut it open. Atlantis yelped in pain as she pushed again one more time and in next second the baby was out! Her eyes shot wide opened "It isn't crying", Atlantis mumbled "Matthew…", she watched in horror as he turned the baby upside down, held it for its legs and slapped it. One time…second time…and after third time, a loud cry was heard. Atlantis let out a deep breath of relief and Matthew smiled "My Ma told me Dr. Mike told her to do this when our friend Emily's baby didn't cry", he freed the baby of the cord and cleaned it. Atlantis smiled, feeling tiredness washing over her. "Is it okay?", she whispered.

"Yeah. She is okay", Matthew smiled, wrapping the baby up.

"She?", Atlantis widely smiled and pulled herself up on the pillows, accepting a baby in her arms. Little eyelids opened, revealing the sapphire blue eyes and Atlantis felt her heart filling with love. They both had their Daddy's eyes, just like she wanted. As their newborn daughter touched her arms, Atlantis gently caressed a bit of dark brown hair and looked up at Matthew as he gently placed their daughter into her arms. His pale face told her volumes "I'm fine, Matthew", kissing his lips, she whispered "Don't worry, I'm fine."

It was only now that Matthew felt that he could breathe properly and everything that occurred in past few hours flew through his head. He let out a deep breath of relief and gazed down at their baby daughter. Little girl yawned a bit and produced something close to smile causing both of them to laugh "She's perfect", Matthew whispered, gently caressing baby's little arm. Atlantis kissed baby's forehead and gently pressed her cheek against the softness of her skin. Matthew went toward the crib and gently picked up a sleeping baby boy. In his sleep, he snuggled closer to his Father, his little hand catching Matthew's shirt. Smiling, Matthew gently caressed baby's little fist with his index-finger and slowly sat down on the bed beside his wife and daughter.

Atlantis looked up from their daughter to the loving eyes of her husband and son.

"Thank you", she whispered.

Matthew smiled at her "I told you we'll be fine. We were always a great team", he said with a smile. Atlantis smiled back at him and they gazed down at the twins who were slowly falling into sleep. As Matthew positioned himself closer to her, Atlantis looked down at their baby boy "They're finally here", she whispered, smile never leaving her face.

"It's like a dream coming true", whispered Matthew.

"It certainly is", Atlantis looked up at him. Matthew gazed down at her eyes and whispered "I love you so much!"

Her eyes filled with happy tears "I love you, too. So much", she accepted his kiss, savoring the feeling of him near by.

One baby gurgled silently and they both looked down to see their son opening his little fist and letting go of his Father's shirt. Smiling at that, Atlantis looked up at Matthew again and saw his gaze fell upon their daughter "What are you thinking about?", she silently asked.

Matthew was lost in watching their daughter's face. Thinking how she didn't cry when she came out and how the panic overwhelm him just for a moment…and than he remembered his Mother's words _'I turned the baby upside down and slapped it few times. Breath came into its lungs and it cried! It was a miracle!'_ he could still see her smile as she said that and sent a prayer of thanks to his Mum for helping him in this crucial time of his life. Looking up at Atlantis, he silently said "I'd like to name her Charlotte…if it's okay with you."

Atlantis's hand found its way up toward Matthew's cheek and gently cupped it, wiping his tears away "Of course. It's perfect name for her. And your Mum helped us; you remembered what she told you and it saved our daughter's life."

Matthew was moved beyond words; it was like she could see right into his heart and know what was he feeling and thinking every single second. "Thank you", he whispered, kissing her fingers that moved across his cheek.

A baby in her arms stirred and Atlantis looked down, gently rocking her "Heyyy, you like it? That was your Grandma's name. Charlotte Cooper", at those words, the little one opened her eyes and gurgled happily at her parents "I think this means she likes it", Atlantis stated in her matter – of – fact tone of voice.

The sound of another baby was heard; little boy protested because his sister got all attention "Already with an attitude", joked Matthew.

Atlantis laughed "I'd like to call him Jimmy. After my Dad", she looked up at Matthew and he smiled, nodding.

"Perfect", Matthew said and started to get up "Okay, Jimmy, Charlotte, time to give your Mum some rest. You surely exhausted her", with an ease of somebody who was a big brother three times and a Father of three now, Matthew took care of both babies and placed them in the cribs. After making sure that they're asleep, he went back toward the bed and putting a cloth in a water, he gently washed Atlantis' face and neck, than changed the sheets and gently tucked in his beloved wife.

Atlantis tried to fight back the tiredness that was slowly making her senses numb. She wanted to stay awake and tell to Matthew how much she loves him, how thankful was she to him for delivering their babies safely…But, her eyelids started to close against her will "Matthew…"

"I know", he whispered, his lips lingering on her hair "Sleep, my love. We have a whole life in front of us."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Matthew was sitting in armchair placed between bed and the cribs. He was reading a book, his senses always on alert for any sign of discomfort either from Atlantis or their children.

**Their children**… Looking up from his book, he glanced toward the cribs and slowly got up. He couldn't resist not to steal another look at the little ones.

Jimmy was softly whimpering in his sleep and Matthew leaned down, placing a soothing hand on the baby's back. The child calmed down immediately at his Father's touch. Matthew gently massaged little back of the baby and in next few seconds, Jimmy was breathing calmly, his slumber undisturbed.

Little Charlotte was awake and when Matthew looked down at her crib, the baby gurgled happily.

"What are you doing awake, Charlotte?", whispered Matthew with a smile, picking his daughter up in his arms. A baby caught her Dad's index-finger and at that simple little touch from his newborn daughter, Matthew's heart melted. He went back toward the armchair and sat down, gently rocking his baby daughter in his arms. He looked at Atlantis' peaceful face as she slept. If it was even possible, he loved her even more today. She gave him three beautiful children, fulfilled his dream of being a Father. She married him, loved him unconditionally. She healed him completely and made him happier than he ever was.

"Thank you, God", he whispered "Thank you for bringing Atlantis back to my life", he gently kissed his daughter's cheek and smiled at her.


	53. Chapter 53

**I have the best readers ever! :)) You all inspired me sooo much with your lovely reviews that I wrote a new chapter today and decided to give it to you! :)**

**Chapter 53**

The wagon wheels turned on the left and the homestead showed in front of her eyes. Nicole gently pulled on the reins to stop the horses. Her Dad went down first to help her with the horses, while her Mum carried half asleep little Matthew in her arms. The child dazed off to a slumber at the middle of their trip back home from the Sullys and now has woke up, mumbling sleepily "Are we at home?"

"Yes, honey, we're at home", Helene warmly smiled, kissing her grandson's baby soft cheek. Little boy snuggled closer to his Grandma, his head falling on her shoulder again as he blinked sleepily, too tired to wriggle down and run inside the house.

"How many tea parties did Katie and he have? Sixteen?", smiled James.

"I stopped counting after 24th", Nicole chuckled, getting down from the wagon.

"And followed by twelve search parties", Helene mumbled with a smile, gently rocking her grandson in her arms.

"We couldn't find Mr. Teddy Bear", little Matthew whispered as Grandma's gentle voice and rocking of her arms slowly lulled him back to the sleep, no matter how hard he fought against it.

Matthew looked up from the book he was reading; he heard a wagon approaching. Slowly, he got up from an armchair and tiptoed toward the doors so he wouldn't disturb Atlantis and babies' sleep. He didn't want Nicole, James, Helene and little Matthew to rush inside the house and wake up the little ones and his wife. Therefore, he slowly opened the doors and came out on the porch just as Helene reached the stairs. She looked questioningly at her son - in – law as he put his index – finger on his lips and smiled.

"Matthew? What's the matter?", Helene asked.

"Is it Atlantis? Oh, my God, is she okay?!", Nicole panicked.

Matthew nodded "She's fine, don't worry. I just…didn't want you to rush in loudly", he smiled even more.

Nicole creased her eyebrows "Than, what is it?"

"Come and see. But, please, be quiet", he said, enjoying the moment. He watched as three grown ups tiptoed inside the house and just in that moment, little Jimmy decided to let his presence known with a soft whimper.

"Oh, my God!", Helene gasped silently, but loud enough to cause little Matthew to wake up. He looked up from his Grandma's shoulder.

Matthew smiled at the little boy in Helene's arms. He gently picked little Matthew up in his arms and said "Son, I want you to meet someone", he went toward the cribs, not taking his eyes of a child, eager to see his reaction when he sees his little siblings.

Little Matthew peeked in the cribs and smiled "They're here!", he held his Father's lower arm a bit stronger to support himself as he gently touched one little sleeping head in the cribs, caressing it slowly. His voice full of joy woke Atlantis up and she blinked few times to adjust her eyes to the light that fire cascaded over the room.

"That's your sister Charlotte", whispered Matthew.

"She has lots of hair", chuckled little Matthew.

By now, Nicole, James and Helene came closer and looked down at asleep babies. Helene covered her mouth with her hand, tears rolling down her cheeks. Nicole wiped her own cheeks from the tears and looking down, she saw that one of the babies woke up "Can I?", she looked at Matthew, smiling. He smiled back and nodded and Nicole gently picked up a newborn baby in her arms, her heart melting as the little one nestled in her arms.

"That's Jimmy", she heard Atlantis voice and all of them turned toward the bed. Atlantis was up, sitting in the bed, leaning on the pillows and enjoying the scene in front of her. Her face glowed with a smile.

"Jimmy?", James breathed out, tears escaping his eyes.

"Yeah, I wanted to name him after you, Dad", Atlantis said and smiled as her Father came closer and kissed her on a forehead, not being able to say a word. But, emotions were written all over his face and the tears were the evidence of how touched his heart was. Atlantis caressed his arm, her eyes filling with happy tears too as her Dad hugged her and she hugged him back tightly.

"You delivered them?", Nicole's silent voice was heard as she stood next to Matthew. Her eyes were full of gratitude and amazement "Thank you, Matthew", she silently added with tears in her eyes.

Matthew smiled at her, understanding how does she feel. Nicole still dealt hard with being away from her sister for so long and he knew how long it took her to realize that it truly wasn't her fault that Heart kidnapped Atlantis. They shared a look of understanding and Matthew shrugged "Ah, well, those two decided to come to world earlier than we expected. Nothing I could do except help them in that", his face glowed with a smile mirroring the one on Atlantis' face.

"How are you feeling, honey?", Helene sat down at the edge of Atlantis' bed and caressed her daughters hand.

"Tired. Actually exhausted. Bit in pain. But happy like never before", Atlantis laughed. All the pain and discomfort she felt couldn't erase the happy smile she wore on her face and she looked at Matthew "Somebody should go to let Dr. Mike, Sully, Colleen, Brian and Katie know", she wanted the whole family to be here.

"Yeah, and I want that Dr. Mike check on you and the babies", nodded Matthew.

"I'll go", offered Nicole "Here, take him", she handed little Jimmy to her Father and all grown ups smiled as the baby opened his eyes and gurgled happily at his Grandpa.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Michaela and Colleen were doing the dishes while Brian helped Katie to collect her toys that were scattered all over the place. Sully went outside to get some more wood for the fire when he heard a horse approaching. He turned around toward the road and saw a horse galloping with Nicole on its back.

"Nicole?", he called out alerting everybody in the house and they rushed outside.

Trying to catch her breath from the fast ride through the night, Nicole smiled at the family "Come, quickly! Dr. Mike, get your medicine bag!"

"Why, what happened?", Dr. Mike asked.

"Oh, my God, is it Atlantis? Is she okay?", Colleen hurried with the question and Nicole couldn't help but smile realizing that Matthew's sister had exact the same reaction as she did.

"She's fine Colleen. She gave a birth to babies! Matthew delivered both of them!", Nicole happily exclaimed causing whole family to squeal, gasp and yell in a surprise and happiness.

"Oh, dear, we best hurry, I need to check on Atlantis and the babies!", Michaela fussed on the porch than rushed inside to get her medicine bag. Sully ran to get a wagon and horses, with Katie hot on his heels. Colleen and Brian rushed toward Nicole.

"Are they okay? Boy or a girl? What did they call them?", questions filled the air and Nicole smiled at Matthew's siblings, deciding to let Matthew and Atlantis tell them all that "You'll see. No way I am spoiling this surprise!", she chuckled and Colleen and Brian smiled widely, hugging each other as the realization hit them; their big brother became a Father!

"Okay, lets go", Michaela rushed downstairs "Where's Katie?"

"Over here", Sully's voice was heard as he left the barn leading the horses with one hand, other hand holding Katie's tiny palm.

The family climbed in the wagon and Sully slapped the reins following Nicole's horse through the night.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Atlantis looked at her little son as he sat beside her on the bed, staring into the face of his baby brother, his smile wide. He gently caressed a bit of blondish hair on Jimmy's head and placed a gentle kiss on it. In that moment, doors opened and Colleen and Brian were the first ones who rushed in. They froze on their steps as they saw Matthew standing few steps away from them, holding a newborn baby in his arms.

Matthew chuckled at their entrance and conspiratorially whispered to a baby "Now, these two are your Aunt Colleen and Uncle Brian. Both too loud and nosy", he smiled widely as his siblings came closer "And yeah, they can be boring, but you just have to love those two. They make your life better", he added, carefully choosing next words "Colleen, Brian…meet your niece Charlotte."

Colleen and Brian gasped, staring at their brother, tears in their eyes… One became too heavy and rolled down Colleen's cheek. Words weren't needed at this special moment and when she slowly reached for the baby, Matthew placed her gently in his sister's arms. Something broke inside of Colleen and she silently cried, kissing baby's cheek "Hey, Charlotte", she whispered. Brian caressed both little fists of the babe as he unsuccessfully tried to sniff his tears away. Little Charlotte gazed questioningly and confused at their faces, than gurgled happily in the next moment, causing them to smile.

"She is so cute", Colleen mumbled "Look at her nose and lips."

"And she has your eyes, Matthew", Brian smiled, not being able to take his eyes of his little niece. After few moments, Brian wiped his wet cheeks and asked "And the other one?"

Matthew smiled, hugging his siblings and turning them around toward the bed where Atlantis held another baby in her arms. As they all approached, little Matthew smiled "This is my brother Jimmy", he proudly said.

Colleen and Brian smiled at Atlantis' Dad knowing that the baby was named after him.

"So, a boy and a girl", smiled Sully.

"And they also have a big brother Matthew", Brian winked at Colleen, causing everybody to laugh.

"Good, that means that somebody will make sure they don't so silly things", Matthew teased his siblings, laughing as he received two playful kicks on his arms from them.

Smiling, Michaela turned toward them "All right, why don't you all go and sit down while I check on them. Colleen, I'll need you here", she took out her stethoscope.

"Okay, I'll put some coffee on", smiled Nicole and ushered everybody to leave the room and let Dr. Mike check on Atlantis and the babies.

As the doors closed, Michaela smiled at Atlantis "How do you feel, sweetheart?"

"Tired and still bit in pain. But, that's normal", replied Atlantis. Her lovely face was showing how exhausted she was, but still the smile lingered on her lips "You check on Jimmy and Charlotte first, Dr. Mike. I need to know are they okay."

"Certainly", Michaela replied "Colleen, help me."

Colleen went toward her and put little Charlotte down on the bed. While Michaela checked on the baby, Colleen went to get Jimmy out of his crib and felt so proud and happy as she took him in her arms.

Atlantis carefully watched as Michaela checked on the babies "Dr. Mike, are they all right?"

Michaela put the stethoscope away and nodded "Perfectly fine. Now, lets see how is their Mummy doing."

Atlantis breathed out in relief and laid down on the bed. While Dr. Mike checked on her, Atlantis remembered something "Charlotte wasn't crying when she came out. Cord was wrapped around her neck, but Matthew managed to cut it and take her out. He had to slap her two or three times and than she cried", Atlantis's face clouded with worry "Will she be okay?"

"She'll be fine. It occurs with lots of babies. Matthew reacted on time and that's what's important. I just wondered how did he know what to do?", asked Michaela.

Atlantis looked at Colleen and swallowing hard, she said "He told me your Ma told him about Emily's baby. How Dr. Mike told her what to do and…", as tears showed up in Colleen's eyes, Atlantis reached out with her hand to her friend and sister – in – law. Colleen accepted it and they just held each other's palm for a while.


	54. EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

"That would be a dollar and fifteen cents, Hank", Loren took his pencil from the table. In next moment an old store keeper stared at his pencil which had a funny purple fluffy thing attached on the top of it and yelped his famous line "What the tarnation?!", Hank raised his eyebrow smiling like he just pulled a rug under Preston's feet and commented "Going fancy in ol' days, ain't ya, Loren?" and before the silver haired man could reply, they heard giggles from behind the counter.

"You two!", Loren exclaimed "Wait till I get ya!", he started to leave the counter and Hank laughed as two little ones rushed out from the mercantile. Grabbing his old broom on the way, Loren followed the kids out from the store and yelled, trying very hard not to laugh "I'll catch ya!", as they ran down the stairs and onto a dusty streets of Colorado Springs, giggling and not watching where are they going.

"Whoa!", Matthew stopped the little ones who practically crashed into him as Loren huffed and puffed his way toward them "What are you two up to again?", Matthew couldn't help but smile at the slightly pink colour of kids' cheeks.

"Daddy, don't let Mr. Bray catch us!", little Charlotte hid behind her Father's left leg, while Jimmy took cover behind the right one, both of them peeking at Loren.

"Oh, you think that your Daddy will save you? I knew him when he was even smaller than you two and he could never escape from me!", chuckled Loren causing Matthew to laugh as Charlotte and Jimmy screamed their way down the streets.

"We both know that isn't true, Loren", chuckled Matthew.

"Oh, just play around, I have to keep an authority on those two at least for a moment", replied Loren, his whole face sparkling with the smile.

"What did they do today?", Matthew turned around to see his three – years – old twins running away, laughing all the time.

"Replaced my pencil with…this thing", Loren handed Matthew a silly pink pen with a purple fluffy thing on top of it and younger man couldn't help but laugh "I gotta catch them", Loren grinned, his eyes set on Charlotte and Jimmy who reached the livery now.

"And I thought that you got tired of this game", Matthew shook his head, trying to hide his smile.

"Me? Never!", Loren grinned, his eyes twinkling as he placed a broom in his other hand and quickly went toward the livery, pulling on his best serious face. Matthew watch him go with a smile on his face; Loren Bray was somebody who they adopted as a Grandpa long time ago and generation after generation simply adored the old storekeeper. First him, Colleen and Brian, than little Matthew and Katie, and now Charlotte and Jimmy. And all of them played pranks on the good ol' Mr. Bray – and Loren loved every second of it.

Glancing one last time after them, Matthew went toward the wagon and taking out a pile of books, he turned on his left to see Atlantis coming toward him with Katie and little Matthew practically pulling her on her hands, trying to make her hurry. Her face was glowing with a smile as she listened to Katie's chattering.

"I already asked Mrs. Slicker, she said that Matthew and me can sit together", grinned Katie.

"Yeah, she just warned us not to cheat on the test", little Matthew smiled.

"Hmmm, I wonder what will she do with the fact that you two will probably babble all the time during the class?", Atlantis winked at her husband and Matthew enjoyed this scene. Little Matthew and Katie started to solemnly promise that they will be quite as two little bugs and than they started to chatter about the things they heard from older kids that were learned at school.

"Let's see how long will that silence last", Matthew winked back at his wife and Atlantis chuckled. Matthew looked down at now seven – years – old Katie and little Matthew and said with a warm smile "All right, you two, promise me that you will be good for Mrs. Slicker."

"PROMISE!", both Katie and little Matthew exclaimed, eager to already get to school house.

"And promise me that you will listen as she teaches you", Matthew continued. The kids nodded and Atlantis bit her lower lip so she wouldn't burst into laughter. Katie and little Matthew were both practically burning from impatience and excitement about their first day at school and Matthew surely prolonged the torture for them.

"Okay. And promise me…", Matthew started, but Katie interrupted him, practically whining "Matthew, hurry up! We'll be late!"

Both Atlantis and Matthew chuckled and quickly escorted the little ones toward the school house where Teresa Slicker greeted them with a big smile. As a teacher rang with a bell to give all children a sign to enter the school house, Atlantis and Matthew waved at the two kids one last time before they turned around and started their way back to the town. On their road they heard Loren's voice "A – ha! Gotcha!" and saw Jimmy and Charlotte jumping behind the fence of the livery and yelping in a surprise as their old friend finally caught them in his arms, all three of them laughing and Loren took each of their little palms starting a story about brand new gumdrops he just got in his shop, saying that he needed to hear _opinions of the gumdrops experts_. Charlotte and Jimmy squealed in delight and followed their beloved Mr. Bray back to his mercantile.

"What a team!", chuckled Atlantis.

"Yeah", Matthew smiled widely as he watched the three of them leaving toward the general store. In next moment he glanced down at his wife with adoration twinkling in his eyes. Atlantis recognized that look and smiled "What?", she asked.

"You do realize that this is the first time in weeks that we are actually alone?", Matthew whispered closely to her ear as his arms pulled her in his loving embrace. Atlantis felt her heart skipped a beat as she looked in those eyes that carried the colour of the bluest sky she has ever seen.

"Mhm", she confirmed, a gentle smile played on her rosy lips.

"I have a plan", he continued in his silent voice and Atlantis felt warmth filling her veins, causing her blood to boil "Ah, you do?", she played along as her palms sneaked on his back.

"I got us some food and drinks from Grace's…What do you think that we go on a picnic?", Matthew's breath came so close to her lips that Atlantis felt herself going into a sweet frenzy. She inched a bit closer toward his lips, sharing the air with him, but still not kissing him "How can I say no when you're asking me like that?", she whispered back and silently sighed as his lips finally touched her lips. Just as her mind started to spin, Matthew broke the kiss. Almost breathless, Atlantis whispered "You better have an ace in your sleeve that is worth of breaking this kiss", she smiled mischievously.

"Oh, I am sure that my magic will work on you", he smiled, lazily hugging her around her waist with one hand as they started to walk.

"Just so you know, I can still play some tricks and surprise you", she silently said with a smile never leaving her lips as she snuggled closer to him, causing him heart palpitation.

"No need for that. You got me under your spell long time ago", he whispered back, his face slightly hoarse.

Atlantis looked up at her husband, her heart practically jumping out of her chest. He looked down at her and she smiled, whispering "I love you, Matthew."

He kissed the top of her head as they walked and whispered "I love you too, Atlantis."

The sun smiled from the sky as its golden sun-tracks followed enamored, happy couple. The sun was the one who witnessed all their pains, sorrows, loss, nightmares and obstacles that life put on their way. But, Atlantis and Matthew managed to beat them all. Life is never easy, on anybody. Even the sun doesn't always shine warmly, sometimes the grey clouds bring rain that stays for a long time. But, Atlantis and Matthew's love was a sunshine for them even in the darkest moments of their lives. They never gave up on crossing that high wire that life pushed them on years ago when they met again. It was high, it was dangerous, yes…but, it was worth it. They crossed it together and showed to everybody that real love can beat all the dangerous high wires of this world.

THE END

**xxxxxx**

What can I say at the end of this story? I started it few years ago, dealt with writer's blocks and real life problems, but thanks to you, my lovely readers, thanks to you and your lovely reviews and constant encouragement, I managed to cross that high, dangerous wire and keep on writing it! This was the story I always wanted to write as I truly adore Atlantis and Matthew together, but, I never thought that people will react good on that kind of plot. Thanks for letting this story in your hearts! I am bit sad it's finished, but I promise you that this isn't the end of Atlantis and Matthew in my fanfiction world. You can already check out my brand new story about two of them called "Taking The Long Way Around".

**I promise that I will update it soon, I practically have the most of it planned in my head and I can tell you that there will be lots of surprises and love in it! :)**

**Thanks for walking the wire with me, my dear readers.**

**Lots of love from me :)**


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